Deja Vu
by Lady DiMera
Summary: COMPLETED - Tony Dimera is reunited with Renee...and has to choose between Renee and Anna.
1. Memories and Dreams

There was nothing startling about the news story.

**TONY DIMERA BUYS ADVERTISING COMPANY IN SALEM**

Obviously, it was a slow news day for the_ London Spectator_. Ever since Jack and Jennifer Deveraux took over as co-editors of the newspaper a year or so ago, there was a steady stream of stories printed about the goings on of the Dimeras every day. As if anyone in England cared about some Italian mobster in America named Stefano DiMera! And readers cared even less if Tony Dimera could ever reclaim the dignity of his fallen and notorious family name.

No, the article was not what had caught Phoebe's eye.

It was the picture.

On the front page of the business section was a large color photograph of Tony Dimera in a gray business suit. With his black hair, tanned skin and intense eyes, he was definitely a handsome man. Any red-blooded woman would look at his photograph twice. And yet, for Phoebe, it was something more than that. It was not just like looking at a movie star or a model.

There was something so...familiar...about him.

Phoebe felt a strange need to reach out to this man. As she studied his face, she felt such an inexplicable sense of loss.

Ridiculous!

The lovely brunette swore as she threw the paper down upon the bedroom floor, getting hold of herself. It was Christmas Eve. She had a party to host tonight, complete with all of her husband's relatives coming from all around the globe to meet her. She did not have time to think about who that man was...

And yet those dark eyes would not seem to let her go.

What if Tony Dimera wasn't just a stranger?

Even as Phoebe put on her elegant red evening gown, his eyes seemed to follow her. She could not help but glance time to time at the newspaper on the floor, making contact with the brooding eyes which seemed to hold such secrets. Always watching her...as she put on her earrings, her stockings, her high heeled shoes...

"Who are you?" Phoebe murmured. "Tony..."

Even the sound of his name on her lips made her shiver strangely as she dabbed perfume behind her ears.

_No man's ever going to make love to you again, do you know that?...Just me..._

The perfume bottle fell from her grasp with a crash onto the marbled bathroom floor, shattering into several pieces.

That voice! It seemed so real, like...a memory...

"Darling?"

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Are you all right?" her husband called out. "I heard quite the racket in here. Did you break something?"

Phoebe parted her lips to answer; but she was not ready to come back to the present. Not yet. Not when she was close to having a memory.

"Phoebe?"

Her husband walked into the bedroom, touching her shoulders, forcing her out of her daze.

"Yes, I...I'm okay. I think. I dropped a perfume bottle."

"I'll get Dale to look after it."

"Okay."

Phoebe continued putting on her makeup, trying not to seem as upset as she felt. Was it happening at last? Was this block in her mind finally letting go? Or was she just having a nervous breakdown?

"You look awfully pale, darling," her husband said with concern, stroking her face. "Feeling okay?"

Phoebe smiled wanly at her husband, grabbed his hand and nodded.

"Yes, I think so. It's just that..."

"There's nothing to be worried about, you know."

He pulled her into his embrace.

Phoebe gazed upon the reflection of the two of them in the bathroom mirror. They made such a handsome couple together.

"You're just meeting my children," he soothed. "And I know they'll grow to love you as much as I do."

"It's not that. It's just..."

She pulled away from him, crouched down and reached for the copy of the _London Spectator_ that she had thrown down.

"This man..." She pointed at Tony Dimera's picture. "Did you know him? When you used to live in Salem?"

Her husband grimaced at the sight of the picture.

"No, our paths never crossed much. Thank heavens! Although I've had to deal with his father more times than I care to remember."

"You mean...Stefano Dimera, the criminal?"

"Yes."

"Odd."

Her husband's eyes crinkled with humor.

"Why all of this interest in the Dimera family all of the sudden?"

"There was something about this man, this Tony Dimera, that seems so familiar. I almost thought I heard his voice a moment ago. It's so crazy. Do you think that maybe...maybe my memory might be coming back?"

"That would be wonderful, sweetheart," her husband enthused, hugging her. Then his eyes grew hard with concern. "Only I worry if you have recollections that have anything to do with the Dimeras. They're nothing but trouble. Always have been. They're dangerous, in fact."

A chill went up Phoebe's spine as she contemplated what it might mean...if the Dimeras were part of her past.

"Never you mind, darling," her husband soothed, holding her.. "I'll always be here to protect you, no matter what you find out."

"I know," Phoebe smiled, trying to shake away the darkness of her thoughts. "I am well aware of what a wonderful husband I have!"

"Yes...and don't you forget it! But enough of all of this. It's Christmas Eve. And the entire clan is downstairs, eagerly awaiting to meet my new bride. Eve, Andrew, Jeannie...the whole bloody lot of them, all driving me mad with questions about you."

"Far be it for me to keep them waiting!" Phoebe Donovan answered with a playful smirk, forcing herself to forget those weird feelings.

"That's my little southern belle spitfire!" Shane Donovan teased, taking his wife's hand and leading her downstairs to the drawing room of Donovan Manor.

------------------------------

"Renee!"

Tony Dimera awoke with a start, having just had the worst nightmare about his poor Renee. It was all too vivid, seeing her struggle with Andre, falling to the ground in agony with the knife plunged into her back. Lying there, broken and alone, dying as the monstrous Andre Dimera placed a raven's feather in her hand...

How odd that he should dream about her again, after all of these years. He thought he had exorcised that ghost long ago. Yet the dream was so clear...as if it had all happened yesterday. And it was as if he had seen and felt everything that she had endured during her murder. He could only hope Renee had not suffered in real life as much as she had in his nightmare.

Oh, how horrible and frightening that nightmare had been. Almost as frightening as the look on his ex-wife's face now...

Oh, dear lord! Anna had heard him cry out.

She had always been the jealous type. And her rivalry with Renee had been an especially brutal one.

Tony steeled himself for battle. This would not be pleasant.

"You dream about Renee?" Anna asked softly. "You still dream about her? After all this time?"

The hurt in Anna's voice broke his heart. It wasn't as if he had dreamt of Renee on purpose, of course. But there was always a part of his heart reserved for Renee, his lost love so tragically taken away just when they had found each other again. And he suspected that he would never be able to truly forget her, no matter how hard he tried.

"It's some trick...competing with a ghost..."Anna said morosely.

Tony sighed with frustration. He wanted Anna to be her spunky self, to yell at him, to put him through the paces for daring to dream about another woman besides her. If she would only fight with him, they could have it out, complete with delicious make-up sex in the shower later. But she had a deep pained look in those lovely eyes. One he hadn't seen in years, decades...

Quickly, he arose from the bed, throwing on a silk robe. Not only did he need to escape Anna's merciless gaze, but he needed to get hold of himself. The intensity of the dream, the tragedy and pain of it all had left him shaking.

"Don't be silly, Anna," he laughed with a humor he did not feel.

"You said her name. I heard you!"

"Well, what if I did?" Tony shrugged. "It was just a dream. That's all. Are you going to send me out to the doghouse over a dream? Don't tell me you've never dreamed about Roman."

"I haven't!" she protested, eyes wide. "Not lately! Well...at least, not since I found you again anyway..."

"Oh, forget it. It was just a dream, Anna. I probably had too much champagne last night."

"It sounded more like a nightmare to me than a dream," she answered. "Look at you. You're in a cold sweat! It must have been a really horrible nightmare. Poor Tony."

Tony nodded, feeling more than a little shaken.

"Yes. It was," he confessed.

"Of course, I suppose any dream with Re-nay would have to be a nightmare now, wouldn't it?"

Tony smiled softly. If Anna was getting her vicious sense of humor back, that was a good sign.

"That's my catty Contessa!" Tony teased, taking her by the hand and leading her to the shower. "I'll make it up to you and give you a good rubdown in the shower."

"Ex-contessa, remember?"

Tony grimaced, remembering their recent argument regarding his proposal of marriage, or rather lack of one.

"Mmmm..." Anna purred with that saucy look returning in her eye. "But I always like your...rubdowns...in the shower."

"I know..."Tony purred back with a devilish grin.

"And then you'll take me out to brunch at Chez Rouge later, right?" Anna asked, trailing her fingernails along his chest. "I'm absolutely famished already!"

Tony smiled, knowing that all was well with the world again if Anna had her infamous appetite back.

And yet, it was not until Tony could lose himself in the steam of the shower and Anna's soft skin that he could dispel the haunting cold chill that overwhelmed him.


	2. Strangers and Secrets

**Ch. 2 – Family Reunions**

"Kim!"

Shane Donovan stiffened in shock at the sight of his ex-wife in the drawing room.

Phoebe sighed nervously. It was nerve-wracking enough meeting her husband's children. She had not counted on his ex-wife being in the mix! But there was the entire lot of them, Kim and Andrew and Eve and Jeannie, all gathered together in the drawing room.

"Andrew, you dolt!"

Eve...or at least Phoebe guessed that the beautiful blonde, dressed in a sparkling pink top with black miniskirt, was Eve...punched her brother in the arm in derision. The handsome and well-groomed Andrew Donovan seemed like a younger version of Shane and was obviously quite appalled at his faux pas.

"I told you not to bring Kim here," Eve sniped. "Now you've ruined everything."

"Well, how was I supposed to know Father got married?" her brother countered. "You could have warned me."

"You idiot!"

"Please, Eve..."Kim Donovan begged. "It's okay."

"Of course it is," Shane agreed.

"Well, I'm just so embarrassed for you, Kim," Eve said. "And you too, Phoebe..." she added as an afterthought.

"Eve..."

If looks could kill, Shane would have slaughtered his own daughter until she was a lifeless heap in the marble foyer of Donovan Manor.

Phoebe got the instinct impression that all was not well in the House of Donovan. She could already feel one of her familiar stress headaches coming on. And she thought that she would be able to handle this little holiday family reunion with no problems! Who was she kidding?

Ever since her life had returned to anything resembling a normal existence, she had almost a phobia of confrontations.

But that wasn't the only thing disturbing her.

Phoebe could also sense the instant and combustible chemistry between Shane and his ex-wife. She could feel it in the way Shane became overly formal and almost nervous at her side. He was being entirely too careful not to say or do the wrong thing. She had never seen him in such a state.

The smooth and suave Shane Donovan seemed at a complete loss in this situation.

Nevertheless, he reached reassuringly for her hand, leading her towards the smiling auburn-haired lady before them.

"Well, Kim, since you are indeed here, may I introduce my...wife, Phoebe?"

"How do you do, Phoebe?"

Kim handled the situation with aplomb, obviously trying to put them all at ease. Although she could not hide the hurt in her eyes at seeing her ex-husband married to someone else.

The both of them were entirely too transparent, Phoebe thought.

"And, Phoebe...well, I suppose you need no introduction."

The silence between the three of them was horribly tortured. Being observed by all three of Shane's children made the spectacle even worse.

"I'm so sorry, Phoebe," Kim began. "My son, Andrew, invited me here for the holidays. I had no idea that..."

"Sorry, Father." Andrew piped up sheepishly. "I had no idea that you were married. I guess Eve thought it would be great fun to surprise us all."

Eve shrugged with a seemingly innocent smile, which was not so convincing. Phoebe sensed right away that this particular daughter was a troublemaker.

"Phoebe, I am completely mortified," Andrew continued. "Can you forgive me?"

"It's quite all right," Phoebe answered with a good-natured laugh. "I am sure we will all survive unscathed. After all, we are adults, right?"

"Well, most of us anyway," Shane said, pointedly glaring at Eve...who seemed to be taking in the scene with a little too much relish.

"Why are you looking at me that way, Dad?" Eve asked, pouting with wide blue eyes. "Andrew's the one who brought her!"

"We are glad to have you, Kim," Phoebe responded, playing the perfect hostess. "It should be no problem to arrange a seat for you in the dining room. And Lord knows we have plenty of food!"

Kim laughed pleasantly as Shane sighed, visibly relieved that the world had not come collapsing around them.

"Thank you for the hospitality."

"And you look so lovely," Phoebe continued, hoping that she was covering her anxiety well. "I just adore your dress."

"Thanks!"

Dressed in a green slinky evening gown, her hair all drawn up about her face, Kim Donovan was indeed a gorgeous woman. She seemed so confident and happy and vibrant, with a glow that came from inside and out. She probably never had stress headaches, Phoebe thought morosely.

"Yes, Kim," Shane added. "You look bloody fantastic. How long has it been?"

"A mighty long time, Captain Donovan...a mighty long time!"

"Captain?" Phoebe asked, confused.

"It's nothing, Phoebe," Shane explained. "Kim just used to call me that in the old days when I was more heavily involved with the ISA."

"Oh."

There was such a wistful quality between Shane and Kim. Phoebe could sense a profound connection, a shared past, between the two of them that was so strong. Miserably, she realized that she couldn't have that sort of relationship with anyone, not as long as her own memories were always so out of reach.

Again, Tony Dimera's face flashed before her eyes, taunting her. Why did the beautiful stranger linger in her thoughts? Who was this man to her?

"Everything all right, darling?" Shane asked.

Phoebe snapped out of her trance.

"Sure."

"Are you okay?" Kim asked. "You seemed a million miles away."

"I suppose I was," Phoebe shrugged. "I apologize."

"Well, shall we go to dinner?" Shane asked in a desperate attempt to ease the tension.

"Finally, I'm starved!" Eve announced, obviously used to being the center of attention. "Are we going to have some of that yummy Christmas pudding, Dad?"

"Have you ever had a Christmas at Donovan Manor without Christmas Pudding?"

"No, I guess not."

Eve was actually quite beautiful when she smiled. And the love she had for her father was easily seen.

Christmas dinner seemed to go fairly painlessly at first. The food all turned out not only edible, but delicious. Shane had even cooked up a few of the dishes himself especially for the occasion. The conversation stayed light. Most of the time, Eve dominated over all, her mouth running off a mile a minute.

Phoebe could not help but be fascinated by the woman with the long streaming hair and china-doll blue eyes.

Eve was obviously a self-involved person with a maturity level only slightly higher than the average toddler. But underneath her irritating exterior, Phoebe sensed that Eve had suffered profound pain. Perhaps she recognized a kindred spirit. She would have liked to know Shane's daughter better, but she just was not up to the challenge. Not right now anyway.

Everything went well until Andrew and Eve started to reminisce about Christmases past when they lived in Salem. Jeannie, the quiet brunette, began to pipe up enthusiastically at their memories. Soon, all of the Donovans were lost in good times of the past.

All except for Phoebe. And she felt, as she so often did, like she was on the outside looking in...since she seemed to have no past.

Watching how comfortable Shane and Kim were together, despite their divorce, made Phoebe recognize what a loving couple they used to be. Eve, Andrew and Jeannie all joked and laughed, occasionally having a sibling spat. They were a real family.

This was the first time since she had been rescued that Phoebe truly felt like the freak that she was. She knew she should be grateful that she had a home. She should be glad that she actually was around people on Christmas for a change. And she should be damned proud to be part of Shane Donovan's life. She would be forever indebted to him for saving her.

Shane Donovan was a fine man. Caring, sexy, adventurous, compassionate. Okay, she did have one complaint. He was too perfect. And the more perfect he seemed, the more she felt as if she were...irrevocably damaged. It would help if she could remember her past. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so insecure. If she could just remember something, anything...

"But, guys, we're being so rude..." Kim said. "Phoebe must be bored to tears by our trip down Memory Lane."

"Not at all," she lied politely. "You're lucky to have such memories."

"What about you, Phoebe?" Andrew asked, in an attempt to include her in the conversation. "Any special Christmases that you remember?"

Phoebe and Shane glanced at each other uncomfortably.

"You do talk, don't you?" Eve asked sarcastically.

"Eve!" Shane warned.

"Nothing...um, memorable," Phoebe answered after a long pause. "Sorry."

"Oooo-kay..." Eve said, clearly audibly under her breath.

"So, Kim..." Phoebe started, eager to change the subject. "Shane told me once that you do counseling with children?"

"Yes, that's right," she answered with a smile.

"I think that is so admirable. You must find it so rewarding."

"Not rewarding enough, I'm afraid. I just got laid off at the hospital."

"Oh, what a shame!" Shane shook his head with disgust. "After all the time that you've worked there!"

"Well, you know me, Captain Donovan, I can always get back on my feet, you know..."

As Kim smiled easily at her ex-husband, Phoebe realized that these two had not only been married and in love, but they must have been good friends too. The caring between the two of them was so genuine, even now. She tried to swallow back her envy. Shane seemed like a different man around Kim. She had never seen such a twinkle in his eye before. She had never heard him laugh with such ease.

Phoebe tried to shake off the feelings of inadequacy. Why was she feeling so out of place? She was Shane's wife now!

"I believe everything happens for a reason," Kim philosophized. "Maybe this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I've decided to take up photography again."

"Photography? Oh, Kim, that's marvelous! You were always so talented."

"Well, I am a bit rusty. I haven't done anything like that since my days working for Tony Dimera. And that had been a disaster!"

Phoebe's glass slipped from her grasp, spilling wine all over the nice new tablecloth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz! I've been dropping things all day!"

"I'll attend to it, dear. Don't fret."

Shane left to fetch one of the servants to clean up the mess.

Phoebe's thoughts were racing. That Tony's name should come up like this...it was like fate.

"You worked for Tony Dimera?" she asked. "What a coincidence! I just read an article about him in the _London Spectator_. He's buying an advertising company in Salem."

"Is he?" Kim smiled. "Well, good for him! I swear the things I've heard about him over the last couple of years has just blown my mind. I'm so glad that that Andre Dimera finally was caught."

"Andre Dimera?" Phoebe asked. "Who is he?"

"He was a lookalike cousin of Tony Dimera's. And he just passed away a couple of months ago and..."

"Ugh," Eve Donovan exploded across the table. "Do we really have to talk about psychopathic killers during Christmas dinner, Kim? I'm losing my appetite."

"I didn't think that was possible, Evie dear," Andrew replied.

"Shut up! And I hate it when you call me Evie. Don't ever call me that!"

"Eve, for heaven's sake, do you have to do this today?" Kim said, finally losing her smooth demeanor. "Can't you act like a grown-up for once?"

Eve stood up in outrage, her hands on her hips.

"I don't believe that I live under your roof any longer, Kim. And you can't tell me what to do anymore." Eve pointed at her. "Although I know it's hard for you to restrain yourself from ordering people around!"

The faint headache that Phoebe had experienced earlier seemed to swell up into a pulsing migraine.

"I just remembered an errand I need to take care of," she said hurriedly. "Excuse me."

Rushing from the table and up the stairs, Phoebe could still hear strains of the argument.

"Great, Eve! Now you've upset Phoebe!"

"Why do I always get blamed for everything?"

Leaving the war zone, Phoebe quickly ran to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. At last, she was alone and in solitude. She could handle being alone. She was used to it. In fact, she sometimes though life inside that secret room was a whole heck of a lot simpler than life out in the real world!

Phoebe had simply never expected this evening to be quite so hard. How naïve she had been to think that perhaps Shane's family could become her own family. That perhaps she would belong somewhere. She didn't belong anywhere, it seemed. Not even with Shane.

She was not up to being Shane's wife.

She was not up to competing with Kim for his affections.

She was not up to dealing with Shane's children.

For the first time, Phoebe realized that she had made a mistake when she agreed to marry Shane Donovan, no matter how romantically he had proposed to her. How could she fight the common problems of being in a marital relationship when she couldn't even deal with the basics? When she couldn't remember her name or anything about herself? When she had been walled up in a secret room for ages?

Phoebe's only excuse was that she had been so vulnerable and lonely for so long. And Shane had come along, her knight in shining armor, her handsome spy, come to rescue her on a covert ISA mission. And he was so sweet to her and caring and romantic and sexy. What kind of fool would she have been to refuse to marry him?

But it wasn't real. How could it be?

Phoebe could see that so clearly now.

"Phoebe? When I came back from the kitchen, everyone told me that you ran out of the dining room. Are you all right?"

The sound of Shane's voice startled her.

"Well, to tell you the truth, my head is killing me!"

"Eve sometimes has that effect on people," Shane joked. "I'm sorry. Eve had a rough childhood. I didn't even know she was my daughter until she was a teenager. And she's always been a bit wild and reckless. And as I'm sure you've noticed, Eve and Kim tend to spit nails at each other whenever they're in the same room. But I've given them all a stern talking-to. I promise you that my family will be civilized from now on."

"They must think I'm such a wimp!"

"They don't know you like I do..." he soothed, sitting next to her on the bed and kissing her on the cheek. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

Phoebe felt ashamed for all of her earlier thoughts. Shane was still her hero.

"It's just difficult, you know..." she confessed. "Being alone for so long. I guess I'm just not very good with people yet."

"And add to that the stress of the holidays and fighting relatives and expectations," he nodded with understanding. "I can only imagine what you must be going through. But remember...I've been there too! Remember when I told you about my own memory loss that I experienced?"

"Yes," Phoebe nodded. "But your amnesia only lasted for a little while. I feel like I've been this way forever. And you had people who loved you, who helped you get through it...like Kim."

"Listen, I love you!" Shane insisted. "Don't you forget that! And I'll love you regardless of whether you get your memory back or not."

"I don't see how you can..." she answered, shaking her head as she felt the tears unwillingly come upon her. "I'm sorry. It's just this darned headache!"

"Rest a while, darling..." Shane soothed. "I'll make excuses for you downstairs."

Phoebe nodded feebly.

"Okay."

After Shane left, Phoebe choked back sobs. As she lay back against a pillow, she heard a rustling sound. It was the copy of _The London Spectator_ at her side on the bed. Tony Dimera seemed to be looking at her from his picture with understanding and sympathy. And still he was calling to her...

"Oh, God!" she cursed, flinging the newspaper across the room. "I'm losing my mind!"

Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about anything.

After about a half hour, Phoebe decided that she needed to soldier on back downstairs. What a horrible impression she was making! She needed to stop being such a baby.

Slipping on her shoes, she started down the hallway when she heard snippets of conversation.

"I just don't get it!" It was Eve's voice from a nearby guest bedroom. "She's such a dull little mouse! What does Dad see in her?"

"Eve, don't do this!"

At the sound of Jeannie's voice, Phoebe felt hot with anger when she realized that the Donovan siblings were gossiping about her. Their freaky new stepmother.

"You've got to admit though, dear sister, that Phoebe is a beautiful woman," volunteered Andrew.

"Oh, so what?" Eve scoffed. "No, really! I mean, don't get me wrong! I was no fan of Kim's, God knows! But to go from her to...that!? She barely spoke two words all night and then she ran away like a scared rabbit! It's just not like Dad to be with someone like that...someone without any character or personality."

"You don't know her, Eve!" The sound of Jeannie's voice. "You shouldn't be judging her."

Just when Phoebe thought that she had got her nerve back, more tears started to come. Despite all of Eve's faults, the brat was absolutely right. She did not belong with Shane. It just hurt to hear the truth spoken out loud. It hurt a lot.

Phoebe whirled around and went back to the bedroom. She just couldn't deal with Shane's insufferable relatives any more, especially Eve!

Sleep came easier than she had expected.

_...And then she was with Tony, alone in a car. He was begging him to confess that she loved him, that there was no one around to hear them. Snow was swirling all about them, contrasting against the pitch-black of the night sky. And she needed him so much, no matter how wrong it was..._

Some time later, she woke up. And she remembered the dream. But was it a dream? Or a memory?

What did this man have to do with her? Why was he becoming an obsession?

She needed answers more than ever.

Recalling her conversation with Kim earlier, Phoebe reached for the laptop computer upon the nightstand. She was still trying to get the hang of using the Internet. Pulling up a search engine, she typed the name of Tony Dimera. Most of what she found had to do with his acquisitions and business holdings. None of it meant anything to her at any rate.

She sighed with frustration.

And then she searched again...for the name, Andre Dimera.

Andre Dimera had been an extremely villainous character. Serial killer. Imposter. A soldier of the Dimera Empire. International terrorist. All applied to him. So many links popped up...and even a few disturbing websites created in his honor.

Phoebe shook her head in disgust. People could be so sick.

Pulling up one of the more reputable sources, she looked up an article describing his life of crime. Her head reeled with all of his infamous deeds. The Salem Slasher Murders. A plane hijacking. The Aremid Frame-Up. The Serial Killer Plot. Interference with military operations. The Vendetta Killings.

How would she find anything to help her in all of this? Where would she start?

At the beginning seemed as good a place as any.

She clicked on the first link. The Salem Slasher Murders.

As Phoebe read about all of those poor women, stabbed and left for dead with ravens' feathers in their hands, she trembled with terror. Sometimes the killer looked like Roman Brady, sometimes like Tony Dimera. Andre was a brilliant imposter and master at disguise.

She hated to click on the link called 'Victims'. She wasn't sure she wanted to see the faces of all of those poor women. It made the horrible story all the more tragic and real.

Little did she know that with the next click of the computer mouse, her world would come crashing down around her ears.

VICTIM #1: RENEE DIMERA

Phoebe almost fainted with shock. Even though the black-and-white picture was taken over two decades ago, she knew the woman in the photograph.

That woman was her!

Looking twenty years younger, to be sure, but still...could it be? How could she be this woman who had been stabbed to death in 1983?

"Shane!" Phoebe cried out. "Shane!"

Shane had to see this picture of Renee Dimera! He was so logical and sensible, even in the most extreme of circumstances. Maybe he could make some sense of it all. At the very least, he could assure her that she was not going crazy.

Hurrying down the stairs, Phoebe stopped short at the sight of Kim and Shane alone together.

They were not clinched in a passionate kiss. They were not naked on the bearskin rug. They were not holding hands.

But they might as well have been.

Kim and her husband were sitting at the dining room table, sipping tea. They were talking quietly. As Kim smiled, she looked absolutely radiant. And Shane laughed with that unfamiliar twinkle in his eyes again.

Jealousy overwhelmed Phoebe...just over seeing them together in simple quiet conversation.

She couldn't bring herself to intrude upon them. She'd been through too much already!

------------------------------

Later that night, Phoebe awoke to see Shane beside her on the bed. He was sound asleep, looking very peaceful. She was envious of his peace of mind and his ability to rest.

And she couldn't go back to sleep at all. Not after seeing Renee's picture.

All she could think about was Tony and Andre and Renee and Stefano. If she really was a Dimera, Stefano's daughter, what did that mean?

In the morning, she would talk to Shane. She was going to go to Salem. She had to find out about her past. And perhaps, she would go find Tony Dimera. He might be able to help her.

Again, she remembered the dream.

She fantasized about Tony's firm mouth pressed against her own. Feeling the warmth of him beside her. And those eyes, always those intense eyes, demanding so much from her...making her feel even when she didn't want to...making her alive...bringing her back to life...

She sighed with longing, nearly waking Shane up. When he turned onto his side, a word escaped from his lips.

"Kim..."

Phoebe swallowed with hurt. Who was she to judge him? Hadn't she just been daydreaming about Tony while he was dreaming of his ex-wife? And could it be any more obvious that this marriage had been a hasty and foolish mistake for the both of them?

So she got out of bed, deciding to do what she should have done the moment Shane discovered her locked away in that hideout. She would stop trying to play lady of the manor and be someone that she wasn't. She was no longer a prisoner. She needed to stop thinking like one.

Phoebe packed up a bag, just taking the necessities and enough clothes to get by on. Guiltily, she used Shane's credit card to buy an airplane ticket and rent a hotel room in Salem, but swore that she would pay him back later. And she left him a note.

_Shane,_

_I think it is painfully obvious to both of us that this marriage was a mistake. You belong with Kim. And I will never be whole until I find out about my past. I've made an important discovery tonight which I must pursue. Please do not follow me. Understand. I need to do this._

_I think you should talk to Kim. It is obvious that the two of you still love each other._

_I hope someday you can forgive me for leaving this way. And I hope someday I can forgive myself._

_Phoebe_

Wiping away her tears, Phoebe left the note on the nightstand. She felt horrible for treating Shane this way, but it was the best thing for everyone concerned. Living a lie was not doing anyone any good. She had to find out the truth about who she was, how she ended up imprisoned for years with amnesia...and most importantly, she wanted to get her memory back.

And the first clues seemed to lie in Salem...with the man named Tony Dimera.


	3. A Familiar Face

**Chapter 3 – A Familiar Face**

"Mr. Dimera, that strange lady is here to see you again..." Stephanie Johnson's voice pouted over the intercom.

Tony swerved about in his office chair, groaning in exhaustion and frustration.

"She's been hounding Chelsea and me for days," his administrative assistant continued. "She won't leave her name and she won't go away. Will you please see her, Mr. Dimera?"

"If she won't leave her name, she is probably not a serious client, Stephanie," he answered back decisively. "And we only take serious clients at _Dimera Advertising_.

"But..."

"Now for the last time, DO NOT INTERRUPT ME AGAIN!!" he roared into the intercom.

Swirling back in his chair to glare at the blonde viper across the room, Tony continued in an icy calm voice.

"Now...you were saying?"

Anna Dimera smirked slightly before breaking out in a triumphant laugh.

"Temper, temper...my dear. Is that any way for the president of an advertising company to behave?"

Tony glowered at Anna. She was casually posed on a cushy large white sofa across from his desk, perfectly attired in a stylish white business suit. She looked every bit like a model right out of a fashion magazine published on Madison Avenue.

Yes, Anna played the part of the ambitious advertising executive convincingly enough. But Tony knew better. She could care less about her new job with the rival corporation that he was competing with. All she cared about was making him suffer!

When Tony had been stranded on Stefano's island for so many years, he clung to the memories of his sweet wife. His beautiful Contessa...who could be romantic, sexy and funny. Dancing with him until dawn. Making love with him around the clock.

Yet the old adage was true. Absence indeed could make the heart grow fonder.

He had forgotten how insufferable Anna could be when she felt she had been crossed. And she always knew how to press his buttons and make him turn positively brutish!

"Let us cease with these games, Anna."

"Games?" Anna asked, batting her eyes with feigned innocence.

"I cannot believe you'd do to us!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tony," she answered. "There's an 'us'? Really? When did that happen? I must have missed that."

"Taking a job with the competition, trying to undermine me...just because..."

"I warned you not to underestimate me," Anna smoothly countered with a sly smile. "You know what they say. Hell hath no fury like a..."

"I NEVER SCORNED YOU!" Tony cried out, slamming his hand down on the desk in anger. "Okay, I didn't propose marriage to you, but I certainly never scorned you! All I recall doing is taking you to the Mediterranean, buying you expensive dinners and jewelry, making love to you day and night. What a horrible monster I am! However did you bear it?"

For a moment, Anna looked as if she were actually listening to him. She even seemed a little ashamed of her own behavior.

"No, you're not horrible, Tony. I never said that. Those were wonderful days...and nights. In fact, they were magical...like a dream that I never wanted to wake up from. And that's why I..."

"But I'll tell you what...!" Tony interrupted, having no interest in hearing her seductive words. " I'll be damned if I'm going to propose to a conniving back-biting..."

The expletive exploded out of his mouth like a bullet from a gun.

"OH!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!" Anna cried out in outrage, standing up from the sofa and clutching at her purse.

"Not that I actually find you and that company a threat in any way!" Tony sniped back. "This little venture of yours is sure to fail. And then I suppose it will just be a matter of time before you come crawling back to me or to Roman or to whatever man will..."

An antique vase shattered against the wall behind him, only several inches away from his head.

"I hate you, Tony Dimera!" Anna raged, storming out of his office. "I hate you. I hate you! I HATE YOU!!!"

------------------------------

The beautiful woman slammed the door of Tony Dimera's office before raging out, paying no notice of any of the women in the front office.

"There they go at it again!" the girl named Chelsea sighed as she sharpened a pencil at her desk. "Seemed like there was more peace and quiet at the sorority house, wasn't there, Steph?"

"You got that right."

Phoebe stared at the back of the woman in the white suit who was stalking furiously down the hallway, leaving the building. For the first time since she saw Tony Dimera's picture in _The London Spectator_, she had that strange feeling. Only this time, it was about that woman. She knew her from somewhere in the past. She was sure of it.

"Does she work here?"

"Who, Anna?" Chelsea answered. "No, thank God, or this place would be a total war zone!"

"Chelsea..." Stephanie whispered at her co-worker, hinting that they should make an attempt to be more professional.

"Anna..." Phoebe said the name to herself, straining to remember something. "Anna."

But nothing was coming to her.

After a few moments, Phoebe was aware that the two secretaries...no, they were Administrative Assistants...the one named Stephanie had made that very clear to her...the two Administrative Assistants were staring at her.

"Chelse...this lady's freaking me out..." Stephanie whispered.

"I know. She is kind of...strange, isn't she?"

Phoebe pretended that she hadn't heard their conversation. She needed to see Tony Dimera! If she could just get these questions answered, then she wouldn't seem so scary to people.

But she had to admit that she was nervous.

After she had heard Tony yelling over the intercom, Phoebe was almost afraid of him. And if that woman, that Anna, was any indication, he was probably very mean-spirited. Just the thought of going toe to toe with him gave Phoebe one of her stress headaches. But she had to do it. It was the only way.

"Do you think Mr. Dimera might see me now?" Phoebe persisted.

Stephanie shook her head sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, Miss. If you would just leave me a name and number, I could make an appointment for you to see him."

Phoebe fretted. Who should she say she was? Obviously, she couldn't say she was Renee Dimera. Should she admit that her real last name was Donovan and that she was married to Shane? Shane said that he had crossed paths with Stefano...and Phoebe had no way of knowing how that would affect Tony. On the other hand, maybe her last name would be the key to getting in the door to see him. At this point, anything was worth a try.

Taking a deep breath, Phoebe took the plunge.

"Phoebe Donovan."

Stephanie nodded with encouragement, reaching for the intercom.

"Mr. Dimera, Phoebe Donovan is here to see you."

Silence.

"Make an appointment for later, please, Stephanie."

Apparently, the name of Donovan meant nothing to Tony Dimera. At least, not as far as Phoebe could tell.

Stephanie shrugged.

"Sorry, I tried. Do you want me to make an appointment for you to see him? I can get a slot for tomorrow morning."

"I guess if that's the only way..."

Stephanie wrote her name down in the appointment book.

"And this is the number of where I'm staying."

Phoebe handed Stephanie the business card of the Salem Inn.

"You're from out of town?"

"Yes. And it's very important that I see him."

Yes, Phoebe thought. She needed to see him right away while she could still afford to stay at the Salem Inn. She would hate to have to go back crawling to Shane in England, just as broke and as clueless as she was when she had first started.

------------------------------

Reaching for the built-in bar inside the dark oak desk, Tony poured himself a brandy. Usually he was not much of a drinker, especially during business hours. He should continue on with his day as if the quarrel hadn't happened. He should see that potential client who was waiting outside of his office. The strange woman who had to be coaxed to leave a name.

But Anna could lead any man to stray off course and straight into on a bender!

Good Lord, hadn't he been through enough?

Tony did not like to waste time on self-pity and regret, but truly how much could one man stand? Didn't that woman have any compassion for him after all he had been through with Stefano? Did she really have to make him endure petty quarrels now...when he was still just trying to figure out how to function in 2008 with all of its slang and new-fangled technology?

Things were so much simpler on the island!

Tony mulled over the last few weeks with Anna and all of their battles. He knew that she was angry that he had not proposed marriage to her. And if he were sane, he would buy the biggest diamond ring he could find and slip it right onto her finger. But the fact of the matter was that he was simply not ready for that sort of commitment. How could he make her understand?

During his life on the island, Tony had convinced himself that he was happy and carefree. Everything was wonderful, even if he was there courtesy of Stefano Dimera. He had even insisted to Marlena and John when they had come to get him that he didn't want to leave the island.

But the truth was that Tony only convinced himself of that to keep himself from going mad with ineffectual rage against Stefano. He simply could not wrap his mind around the fact that his monstrous "father" had manipulated and imprisoned him yet again. It had been humiliating enough when he had been Stefano's captive for nine months. But this time, it had been for over twenty years. He had to convince himself that he was at peace with how things were. He had no other choice if he was to keep his sanity.

But once Tony had returned to what was known as Real Life, he became painfully aware of all he had missed. Yes, horrible things had happened in Real Life since his absence. Tsunamis and terrorist attacks and wars. But there were beautiful things in the world as well...beauty that Stefano had deprived him of. Friends and family...children...youth. So many opportunities had passed him by.

And now that Tony had his first taste of freedom at last, he could not give that privilege up. Not even for Anna. He wanted to go where he wanted, when he wanted and with who he wanted. If that made him a selfish man, so be it! Wasn't he entitled to just a little selfishness after everything that had happened?

Miserably, he downed his snifter of brandy.

He did love Anna. But sometimes love was not enough when life could be so complicated.

And here he was, Tony thought, morosely studying his immaculate new office...trying to create this new company and make the Dimera name stand for something besides evil. How could a mere little advertising company erase decades of all of the damage that Stefano had caused? Murders, kidnappings, faked deaths...those words were synonymous with the Dimera name, not advertising.

Still, he reasoned, refusing to see a brand new client was no way to start his new venture.

"Stephanie?"

"Yes, Mr. Dimera?"

"Is that client...that..." Tony strained his memory. "That Miss Donovan still out there?"

"No, she left, Mr. Dimera. She has an appointment to see you tomorrow morning."

"Fine."

Tony sighed miserably. At least, if he had seen that Miss Donovan, he might have been able to forget about his problems for a while.

------------------------------

So here I am all dressed up with no place to go, Phoebe thought sourly.

She had not been in business attire exactly, but she had made an attempt to look presentable. Actually, donning a lavender silk dress and dark cashmere coat along with pearl earrings, Phoebe had attempted to look attractive. No mean feat, considering what she had in her suitcase to work with.

And she couldn't even get past Tony's secretaries...oh, excuse me, Administrative Assistants.

Sighing in frustration, Phoebe wandered the streets of downtown in no hurry to go back to that smelly old room at the Salem Inn, even though the winter weather in Salem was brutally cold. And with finances stretched so thin, she did not dare to even splurge on lunch or a cup of coffee. But she noticed that the University of Salem Library was only a few blocks away. That would be a great place to kill time for the rest of the afternoon, at least. And perhaps she could even do more research on Renee Dimera there.

Her spirits lifting, Phoebe strode over towards the library, feeling like the day had not been a complete loss.

Luck was on her side for once. There was one last available spot in the crowded Media Center for a computer. Phoebe eagerly grabbed the spot and proceeded to do a search on 'Renee Dimera'.

Renee DuMonde had come to Salem in 1980. Her life had never been an easy one. She had been under the belief that her mother, Lee DuMonde, was her sister. She had been nearly killed by the Salem Strangler twice. After she was engaged to Tony Dimera, she found out that Stefano was her father after reading Lee's diary. And later on, Tony discovered he was not Stefano's son. She then married David Banning.

The details of Renee's life became a bit sketchy after that.

Tony Dimera had married Anna. The woman in the office, Phoebe remembered.

In 1983, Stefano faked his first 'death' and set Renee and Tony in a competition with their respective spouses as to who would provide the first Dimera heir. But a second will was discovered by Alex Marshall, leaving all of the money to Renee. Alex married Renee for her money, but when Renee found out about the will, she threw a big party when she more or less told Alex...along with the rest of Salem...off. This was the party in which Renee was murdered. Although Andre was the ultimate killer, there had many suspects involved in the case. Apparently, Renee made a lot of enemies along the way.

Phoebe was a little depressed reading about the person who she suspected that she was. The life she was returning to...if she indeed was Renee...was not a happy one. But it was her life, for better or worse.

And Phoebe began to understand why she had such intense flashbacks about Tony. They had become engaged again right before her death. Their relationship had only lasted for two years but it had been an intense one. And Andre Dimera had pretended to be Tony for the first time when he killed Renee. No wonder she kept having flashbacks of that face. The face of her lover...and of her killer.

How was she going to get up the nerve to see him tomorrow? How would she just waltz in his office, looking like Renee? But she didn't know any easy way to deal with the situation. It would be a shock for him to know of her existence no matter how she proceeded.

Phoebe continued to read about Stefano Dimera and some of the victims who suffered at his notorious hand. Roman Brady. Marlena Evans Black. John Black. Hope Brady. Steve Johnson. As she read article after article, a pattern became apparent. Almost all of them, at one time or another, had been assumed dead or had amnesia...or were both at the same time. So according to this scheme, it was not so out of the question that she could be Renee Dimera. And that she had survived. Ironically, for once, she fit in some place...even if it was in this crazy collection of science fiction stories.

More than ever, Phoebe was certain that she had made the right decision in coming to Salem, all heartbreak with Shane aside, all trepidation about Tony Dimera aside.

"Miss, excuse me..." A pleasant-sounding lady's voice startled her out of her contemplation.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to startle you, but I couldn't help noticing some pictures you have on screen there."

"Oh?" Phoebe asked nervously, turning to look at the woman.

With frosted dark hair, the older woman was beautiful, extravagantly dressed in expensive flashy clothes. She seemed not to take notice of Phoebe, but was pointing directly at the computer screen.

"Yes, that's my son, David. Do you know him?"

When the woman turned to make eye contact with Phoebe, her eyes widened in something like shock. Fear, even. For a moment, Phoebe worried that the stranger would keel over with a stroke.

"OH DEAR GOD!!!"

Phoebe looked around nervously, wondering if there was a security guard or something nearby since this woman was becoming completely unhinged at the sight of her deceased ex-daughter-in-law.

"Julie!" A gray-haired man cried out from across the computer room. "Calm down, darling! What's wrong?"

"Oh, Doug!" she cried out in distress. "I don't believe it!"

"Believe what?!"

The man, probably the woman's husband, rushed over to them.

"I'm s-s-sorry," Phoebe stammered. "She seems to be upset about something..."

"RENEE!" Doug cried out. "Dear God, Renee! Is that you?!"

The realization finally came to Phoebe that the woman said she had been David Banning's mother. Of course, Doug and Julie Williams! She had just read about them. Oh, this was so not good!

Julie Williams began to glare at her with fury.

"But, then again, you're a Dimera. AND NONE OF YOU EVER DIE, DO YOU?!!"

Heart racing, Phoebe jumped from her seat and frantically reached out for her purse.

"Look, lady. I don't know what you're talking about...but..."

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!" Julie Williams spat with venom at her. "Why are you looking up pictures of David? Don't you dare go and see him! Because of your stupid fake murder, he was nearly put in prison! I was nearly put in prison when I confessed!"

"You confessed?"

"Don't play dumb, dear!"

"Now, Julie," Doug coaxed. "Now just try and control yourself!"

"You're not that good of an actress! So what are you doing, taking up the torch from your dear old Daddy Dimera? It makes perfect sense. Finally, he can't hurt us anymore...so now you've been dug up from the grave to torture us all! Well, you're not going to get away with this. I'm calling the police right now!"

Terrified, Phoebe pushed at Doug, all the while hoping she hadn't hurt the old man. Then she ran for her life, flinching as she heard Julie call out for the police. Dashing down the side streets of downtown in her high heels, she made her way back to Dimera Advertising, almost knocking down Stephanie when she got there.

"Please..." she panted, trying to catch her breath. "I...have...to see...Mr. Dimera..."

"Look, Miss Donovan..." the young girl pouted. "It's after office hours, OK? Get a life!"

With that, the secretary stormed off to her car.

"But you...don't understand..." Phoebe panted. "That...just what I'm...trying to do..."

Looking frantically at the office building of _Dimera Advertising_, Phoebe once more entered the building as a place to hide out if nothing else. Shivering from both the panic and the cold, she waited until a security guard came up.

"Sir?" she asked. "Excuse me, I was temping here today...and I left my purse upstairs and..."

"Go ahead," the guard said, apparently not too concerned about her as a security threat. "But just smile for the camera, okay?"

Click. Flash.

Great, Phoebe thought. More incriminating evidence against her if Julie and the police ever find her!

Making her way to the 33rd floor, Phoebe was gasping for breath as she frantically rushed down the long hallways. The offices were creepy looking with most of the lights turned out.

But...there was a light on in Tony Dimera's office.

And she rushed towards that office, knowing that she could no longer stop what destiny had in store for her.


	4. No Foggy Piers

_Author Note: DAYS always seems to confuse me with their own storylines while I'm writing fan fic. In this story, Tony and EJ have acquired ownership of the Dimera Mansion, not John Brady Dimera!!!_

**Ch. 4 – No Foggy Piers**

Tony was an incurable romantic. He loved hearing about great romances, particularly those that occurred in Salem. That is why he knew for certain that the vision of his long lost Renee was simply a brandy-induced dream. When loved ones returned from the dead, they did not arrive, shivering and out-of-breath, panting in executive offices. No, that wouldn't do at all. Such heartfelt reunions happened on foggy piers, in southern plantations or on deserted islands.

"Mr...Dimera...?" Renee gasped. "I'm sorry...to burst in on you...this way!"

For a moment, he simply stared at the woman before shaking his head in a bleary haze.

No, this was simply not how it worked.

Renee should be crying out with a heartfelt plea. Something like "Tony!? My love, oh, I've found you at last..." He almost giggled at his own melodramatic absurdity.

"But I need your help..."

Tony closed his eyes for a few moments, lying back against the large white sofa in his desk. Funny, he didn't feel intoxicated enough to be this far gone. In fact, he felt fairly sober. Tired, granted, but sober.

"Mr. Dimera?" The voice continued, not fading away into the past where it belonged. "Are you okay? You're not going to faint, are you? I'm sorry. I know this must be a huge shock for you. Do I need to get you some water or something?"

"Water?" he repeated, trying to hold back an inappropriate chuckle.

Perhaps he was hallucinating.

Stefano had succeeded in driving him insane after all. There was no other explanation for this. His mind had finally cracked, after all of the stress of starting up this company and fighting with Anna and dealing with Stefano's coma.

He felt a cool touch upon his forehead.

Tony opened his eyes, taking in the sight of the woman kneeling down beside him on the couch. She looked so sweet and concerned for him, such anxiety in those expressive brown eyes.

He had forgotten how much he had loved those eyes...

"Are you okay?" she asked frantically.

Renee was still as beautiful as ever. She had not seemed to age a day. Her raven locks were long, flowing down around the fur collar of her light brown cashmere coat.

But there was something wrong, Tony noted in his insanity.

Renee looked too...modern. Her haircut was too sharp and her shoes too much the recent style. She was distressingly different from the phantom who lived in his memory...the vision who perpetually dressed strictly in 1983 mode.

Tony realized he was not drunk or dreaming or hallucinating. The hand on his face had been very real.

This woman was very real.

And no matter how much she looked like her, she could not possibly be Renee.

"Who are you?" he asked coldly as he sat up on the couch, having returned to his senses at last.

The woman swallowed nervously and stood up.

"I'm Phoebe Donovan."

She extended a hand out to him, but he didn't dare return the gesture of politeness.

Donovan? Tony mused. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. Oh, yes...

"The woman who tried to see me today?"

"Yes," she continued. "At least, that's the name I go by. Phoebe is simply a name I gave myself. You see, the truth is...I don't remember who I am. But I suspect that I may be Renee Dimera. And I was hoping that you could help me."

Tony sighed in exasperation. Even when the great almighty Phoenix was paralyzed in a mental institution, he still managed to play his games, didn't he?

"Do you work for my father? I mean..." he corrected. "That psychopath named Stefano Dimera?"

"What?!" the woman asked, confused at first. "NO! No. I've never met him. At least, I don't remember having met him. You see, I have suffered memory loss for many years, decades in fact, and..."

Tony rose to his feet and paced the floor in disgust.

"Good lord, not that old chestnut again!" he huffed. "Can't Stefano ever come up with any other ailment besides amnesia? You're boring me to tears!"

"What?" the woman asked, playing the role of the confused innocent very convincingly.

"I hate to ruin your performance..." Tony said. "But I know who you are and what you're doing. Stefano often likes to hire deadbeats, hookers and what-have-you, and turn them into clones of people from Salem."

"Hookers!" the woman cried out in outrage.

Tony continued as if she had said nothing.

"He has done this many times over the years. But I'm afraid that you will not get paid for your trouble. Your employer has suffered a stroke recently. He is paralyzed in a coma and it is extremely unlikely that he will ever come out of it. So I'm sorry but you'll have to find some other occupation."

"Occupation?" the woman stammered. "I don't understand."

"Don't you?" Tony sniped, glaring at the woman. "I am becoming so tired of women and their games!"

"This isn't a game..." she protested.

"But since you amused me for about two minutes with your very precise likeness of Renee, I will do you a favor and forget that I saw you."

"I don't work for Stefano, I swear!"

"BUT..." The word shot out violently, causing the woman before him to jump out of her skin. "If you persist in going on with this disrespectful farce to Renee's memory, I shall call the police right away."

"No!" Phoebe Donovan cried out. "Please! Dear lord, I'm already on the run now! That's why I need help!""

"Being on the run is a bit of an occupational hazard when you work for Stefano, my dear!"

"You don't understand! I..."

The woman grasped at her head with both hands as if she was agony.

Tony did not make a move for surely this was more playacting. But shrewd business sense took over. On the off-chance that she was sick, he did not need a lawsuit on his hands with a new company.

"Perhaps you should sit down..." he motioned to the couch, half-heartedly.

She did so, silent for several minutes.

For the first time since he became fully alert, Tony wondered if perhaps there was some truth in her story. He still couldn't believe that she was Renee. But he possibly could be convinced that she believed she was Renee.

"I apologize..." Phoebe Donovan said after some time. "I just get headaches sometimes...when I'm..."

The true panic in her eyes did move him.

"Listen..." He reached out to touch her hand. "I won't..."

She flinched from his touch as if he had burned her.

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I just need a minute."

Tony was truly at a loss with how to deal with this situation. He felt so helpless, like he always did when Renee would get into one of these moods...

And she seemed so like Renee right now, he realized. The way Renee had been when she had been running from the Salem Strangler, terrified and needing his help. Needing him. And he felt that need to protect her again, despite the years, despite the impossibility of it all.

"You said you were on the run?" he asked.

After a few moments, the woman seemed to recover a bit.

"Yes. I was at the Salem University Library, doing research about Renee when...I was nearly attacked by this lady and her husband!"

"Attacked?"

"Yes! Oh, what was her name? David Banning's mother..."

"You mean...Julie Williams?" Tony asked incredulously.

"YES!" Phoebe Donovan cried out, pointing at him. "And her husband..."

"Doug?"

"YES!" she nodded. "They were both completely going crazy when they saw me."

Tony nodded, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Yes, I could see how they would."

"And Julie Williams said I was trying to...oh, how did she put it? Take up where my father left off. And she threatened to call the police. So I panicked and ran and came here."

Despite how shocked and appalled Tony was by this situation, he couldn't help but be amused by the story. If it were true, he would have given a small percentage of the Dimera fortune to witness it.

"Perhaps you really are Renee," Tony said, holding back a chuckle. "I can't imagine any employee of Stefano's being so incredibly stupid."

"Call me names if you want to!" the woman yelled. "I don't care what you think about me if you'll just hear me out! I came all the way from England to find you. I don't remember anything of my past. All I remember is being taken care of, existing really, in what was a very well-furnished prison for God knows how long! And then..." Her story faltered a bit...and Tony did not miss it. "An ISA spy found me and broke me out. I saw your picture in the newspaper...and I thought that I somehow had a memory about you. And that was when I did some research...and found out about Renee."

"You can't be Renee!" Tony insisted stubbornly. "Renee is dead"

"That's what they all said about Marlena and Roman and John and Hope and Steve when they came back!" the woman continued, on a rampage. "And they were all presumed dead, most with amnesia...just like me! All part of Stefano's experiments! And I was the first one!"

Tony remained quite calm as he listened to the woman carry on. He hated to admit it, but in a crazy way, she did make sense. Stefano had proven that he could quite convincingly fake deaths over the years...even when there were bodies and burials involved. And when Renee died, that was when Stefano's true insanity really started.

Was it possible?

Mulling over the situation, he paced around a bit, unwilling to look at the woman with Renee's eyes.

"Perhaps Stefano could have saved Renee at the last minute. Perhaps he had faked her death. Lord knows, he has pulled off that trick enough times. But to imprison her for years? That I don't believe. If there's anything I know, I know that Stefano loved Renee until the end."

"He imprisoned you!"

"Ah, but I was another man's bastard," Tony answered. "Not his own flesh and blood, thus I was expendable. And even when he thought I was a true Dimera, he always thought I was a disgrace."

"Well, what about Lexie Carver?" she countered. "She was his biological daughter and she was locked up in a tunnel for a year."

"By Andre, not Stefano."

The woman sighed with frustration.

Tony almost felt sorry for Phoebe Donovan. Aside from her remarkable likeness, she did have Renee's determination. He would give her that much. And he had always admired that quality in Renee. The sleek little cat who could land on her feet and get the better of everyone. That is...until she crossed paths with Andre Dimera.

Dark memories from those bleak days came back, no matter how much he tried to deny them. Memories of being treated worse than an animal, barefoot and chained, miserable in a dungeon. All he could do was watch his loathsome cousin, Andre, taunt him as he pleased. And all he could think about was poor Renee...and how horribly she had died. Her ghost had been his only company for some time.

Tony forced the pain out of his mind, just as he had done so many times before.

"You can't be Renee," he insisted. "So I think you should go back to England...or wherever it is that you come from."

"Why are you so determined to not even give me benefit of the doubt?"

"Because your story is absurd!"

"No more absurd than any of the rest of it," she answered. "Tony, don't you want me to be alive? I thought you might at least be glad to see me. I mean, I had read that we were engaged. You loved me, didn't you?"

Tony flinched at her expression. Oh, the actress had Renee down pat. It was incredible. She even had that way of looking at him so pleadingly, melting his resistance and making him forgive her anything. God, he'd almost forgotten how she could affect him that way...

Stop it! His mind screamed. Don't be a bloody fool!

"I can only think of one other way to convince you..." she sighed.

With that, the woman set her jaw stubbornly, shrugged out of her cashmere coat and began to undo the buttons of her lilac-colored silk dress. He quickly turned away from the woman before she would completely demean herself before him. But not before he had caught a glimpse of lacy black bra against ivory skin. So like Renee...with her curves...

"This is the most bizarre attempt at seduction I've ever encountered!" he spat out furiously.

Tony could not help but feel aroused. He was only a man, made of flesh and blood, after all. And he was angry that the imposter could affect him this way.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Mr. Dimera!" Phoebe Donovan snapped. "I have something to show you...and it isn't very sexy."

Curiosity got the better of him.

Turning to face her once more, Tony's blood ran cold at the sight before him.

"Now do you have enough proof?" she asked.

There was a long deep red scar running along her back. The scar of Andre Dimera's lethal knife!

------------------------------

Phoebe shivered as she exposed her naked back to Tony Dimera, undressed to the waist except for her flimsy bra She had never expected the meeting to turn out quite this way! That was for sure. The man had just made her so darned mad that she felt compelled to shock him with the truth of who she was. How could he be so stubborn and cruel, accusing her of being a criminal and a prostitute? How could he be so cold?

For some reason, she thought Tony Dimera would be different. She didn't know what she had expected really. But it just didn't seem possible that she could feel so connected to a man who didn't seem to want to know of her existence.

And as disturbing as all of that was, Phoebe was the most upset about how she felt almost painfully attracted to this man. She had admired him in the photograph in the newspaper. But once she had seen him in the flesh, lying there upon the sofa, she had the strongest urge to beg him to hold her. She could not even stop herself from stroking his face.

She swallowed hard.

"I assure you the scar is real," she said softly. "You can even touch it if you want to."

The silence between them was thick. And Phoebe felt dizzy with anticipation that he might touch her bare skin. What in the world was she doing?

"No, I don't think so."

Phoebe sighed with relief that he had rejected her offer. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust him to be a gentleman. She just didn't trust herself, not as long as she was shaking with passion that she was completely unaccustomed to.

"I could go to a hospital and get it tested," she suggested. "Perhaps there's even a way to determine how old it is."

"Stop," he said. "Just stop..."

Tony was starting to believe her. She could hear it in his voice.

"Oh, my God..." he sighed, the enormity of the situation sinking in at last. "Maybe you are her."

With shaking hands, she put her dress back on. Her fingers were trembling so that she could barely fasten the buttons.

"Tony...I may call you that?"

"Of course."

His voice was dull as if he was in shock.

"Tony, I didn't come here to cause trouble. I just want to know who I am once and for all. You're the only one I could remember so I came to you. I was hoping that maybe...I could see some of Renee's old things. I thought maybe seeing the memories and reminders of her life would jog my memory. Do you think that would be possible?"

"Stefano has some of Renee's possessions at the mansion," Tony answered quietly.

"But you said Stefano was in a coma."

"He is," Tony nodded. "There has been a lot of legal complications with his estate. You see, he was in the process of inheriting almost all of his relatives before his stroke. But the details were never fully completed. So for the moment, I have joint access to the mansion along with my brother, Elvis."

"Elvis...?" Phoebe cracked a smile. "Oh, yes...you mean EJ Wells, the racecar driver?"

"That's the one."

"He's very popular in England."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yes."

Again, there was an awkward silence between them.

"So I may come to the mansion and look through her things?"

"I suppose, the sooner we clear up this mystery the better."

"I don't really have a clue of what else to do," Phoebe pondered. "Do you suppose they could do one of those...what do you call them? A DNA sample on me?"

Tony shrugged helplessly.

"Renee..." he stopped short, his eyes widening. "I mean, Phoebe...I've been on an island for the last 20 some-odd years. I know nothing about that sort of thing. For all I know, Renee's death...or perhaps disappearance...happened so long ago that I'm not even sure if they could do such a thing. At any rate, I am surprised that the ISA didn't perform such tests when they rescued you."

Phoebe nodded.

"It is strange that a test was never taken, isn't it?"

"Damn," Tony swore.

"What?"

"Do you ever feel like there's some clue, something that you should be picking up on, but you just can't quite piece it together?"

"All of the time," Phoebe confessed with no small humor.

"The ISA and you...there's something very strange about it."

"Maybe I should just hand myself to the police and they'll do a DNA test on me. They're looking for me anyway."

"You don't know that," Tony shook his head. "And I wouldn't advise doing such a thing. There's a serious prejudice against Dimeras in this town, as I've sure you've surmised from your run-in with Doug and Julie Williams."

"You can say that again! Do you think they'd put me in jail?"

"On what charge?" Tony joked. "Looking like a dead Dimera? No, they couldn't arrest you. But they could hound you and harass you in an effort to make you leave town. You don't want to go through all that."

Phoebe could not help but smile a little.

"Nice of you to care that much anyway."

Tony looked at her oddly.

"Your smile can still light up the world..." he said softly.

Her heart pounded at his words.

Was it possible that he not only believed her...but that he might even still have some old feelings left for her?

"What?"

"Oh, nothing..." Tony shrugged sadly.

But it wasn't nothing.

For just a moment, Tony Dimera was not the ogre that she had been arguing with for the last half hour. He had the look of a friend...maybe even a lover.

Phoebe had been too wrapped up in just trying to discover the truth about herself to contemplate what it would mean to have Tony Dimera in her life. He was obviously remembering things about her, remembering when he was her lover. But despite her attraction to him, he was still a stranger for the most part. It was all so unsettling.

"A little while ago...you called me Renee," she said. "So you do think I'm her, don't you?"

Tony sighed helplessly.

"I don't know. With Stefano, anything is possible...but I can't really believe it. This is just madness."

The moment between them was tense.

"I would like to know the truth about who I am..." Phoebe confessed. "But I'm sort of afraid too. What is it they say? Be careful what you ask for..."

Tony nodded with understanding.

"Perhaps you should just try to be happy with who you are in the present..." he suggested. "You had a life in England, you said. And a person is more than just their past."

Phoebe shook her head.

"I just feel like I don't belong anywhere. I'm just so...messed up. I don't know."

"I know how you feel," he replied. "I'm a bit messed up myself. Coming back to the real world after decades of imprisonment isn't easy. I suppose, we have both lost our pasts to Stefano Dimera, one way or the other."

Phoebe nodded.

"Yes, we have that in common. Well, I guess I should go now..."

She turned to leave his office.

"Wait!" Tony called out. "Where are you staying?"

"The Salem Inn."

"What are you going to do about Doug and Julie Williams?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Do you think the police might be looking for me?"

"Possibly. Look, since you're going to be there soon enough, why don't you just stay at the mansion while you do your...research?"

Phoebe was shocked at the invitation. Even though she had walked out on Shane and intended to get a divorce, there was a part of her that felt horribly guilty at the prospect of spending the night in another house with another man.

"I don't know..."

"You'd be perfectly safe there."

"Wouldn't EJ object?"

"There's plenty of room," he offered with a lazy smile, seeming more relaxed around her. "And EJ is a typical Dimera, easily won over by a pretty face."

Phoebe still had reservations. But it seemed to be an offer she couldn't refuse, under the circumstances.

"I'll be a gentleman, I promise."

"Oh, I never meant to imply that you wouldn't be. It's just that..."

Phoebe couldn't tell him about her marriage, not yet. Besides, it was silly to feel guilty about Shane when she was going to divorce him.

"Just what?" he goaded, almost teasing her now. "That's what you came to Salem for, isn't it? To get close to me? And your past?"

Phoebe began to rub her hands together nervously, feeling as if she were about to break out in a sweat.

"Yes, I guess so."

"There are plenty of secret passageways and tunnels," he whispered. "Julie Williams will never find you there."

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh.

"You can be a persuasive charmer, Tony Dimera..."

"So I've been told," he smiled.

"When you're not being an odious creep."

With that, he let out a large laugh.

"I suppose I've been called worse."

As Tony escorted her to his car, Phoebe wondered when she had picked up the ability to flirt like that. Perhaps her old personality was coming back a little bit, after all.


	5. Complicated Women

**Ch. 5 – Complicated Women**

_Two days later..._

Anna Dimera was going slowly out of her mind. What good was her grand revenge plan against Tony if he was nowhere to be found? This competition between the ad agencies was not going as successfully as she had hoped. In fact, so far it was a disaster. Lumberg Advertising was plummeting as fast as Dimera Advertising was rising.

And now Tony was missing! It was so infuriating.

Sighing impatiently, Anna drummed her fingers on the desk, once more grilling poor Chelsea.

"Tony hasn't left word of how to be reached or anything?"

"No, Mrs. Dimera," the girl sighed in exasperation. "Like I said before, he's been giving all of his instructions via e-mail and doesn't want to be disturbed."

That was so unlike him, Anna pondered. Once Tony got all into business, he was just so...well, business-like.

"Did he leave some sort of excuse for not coming in?"

"Um, he runs the company, Mrs. Dimera..." Chelsea answered. "He doesn't need an excuse."

"Well, maybe not to you!" Anna mumbled under her breath snarkily. "But he certainly has some explaining to do to me."

Pacing around the office lobby, Anna sulked into a funk. Here she was all dressed up, ready to draw blood in another battle with Tony. And he had completely disappeared off the face of the earth, except for these mysterious e-mails sent to the office.

The last time Tony had disappeared like this, Stefano had kidnapped him. That thought made Anna panic.

"Are you sure nothing strange has been going on?" Anna asked. "I mean, you don't think he might have gotten into trouble, do you?"

Chelsea shrugged.

"I have no reason to think so."

"Well, there was that weird thing with that client..." Stephanie volunteered from across the room.

"Um, we probably shouldn't say anything about that, Steph."

But it was too late. Anna was like a dog with a bone.

"A client?"

"We really can't talk about..."

"Come on, girls..." Anna coaxed. "I am Tony's wife."

Chelsea rose a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well..." Anna harrumphed. "I was his wife. And we're still close. We don't have any secrets, even in business."

"I'm kind of freaked about Tony too, Chelse," Stephanie interrupted. "Maybe Anna should know."

"Okay..." Chelsea said with a sigh. "But if Tony gets mad about it, it's your butt on the line, not mine."

"There was this weird woman who kept coming here," Stephanie explained. "She was almost like a stalker or something. She kept hanging around, trying to see Tony for days. And she wouldn't leave her name. Tony kept brushing her off, saying that she didn't sound like a serious client who would open up an account. Finally, she left her name and made an appointment to see him. Tony had agreed to meet with her the next morning. And then neither of them showed up for the meeting."

"Hmmm...how did Tony seem the last time you saw him?"

"Very drunk," Chelsea piped up.

"Tony was drinking?!"

Anna was aghast. Apparently, their argument was harder on him than she had thought. He could be so aloof sometimes that it was hard to tell when she had gotten to him.

"Still it was weird," Stephanie added. "That lady was so determined to see him. And neither one of them has called the office or anything. It's like they both disappeared at the same time."

A horrible thought entered Anna's mind. Could Tony have possibly met up with this strange woman and...? No! Not her Tony!!! But she had broken up with him. Whenever he had approached her, she had given him the cold shoulder. Perhaps he was playing the field now.

That creep!

Roman had always warned her that Tony was a player. Maybe he was right after all.

"Was this woman...pretty?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Yes, I'd say so. Wouldn't you, Steph?"

"Sure. In a retro kind of way."

"What did you say her name was?"

"We didn't," Chelsea answered. "And Tony wouldn't like..."

"Look, if this woman is a mutual acquaintance of ours," Anna explained slowly, as if to an idiot. "Maybe I can find out what is going on."

"Phoebe Donovan...' Stephanie said with some reluctance, looking at Chelsea with anxiety. "I don't want anything to happen to Tony, Chelse. He's been a really nice boss to us, giving us a chance with our careers like this."

"Phoebe Donovan..." Anna repeated. "Well, that doesn't ring any bells. Although I do know a Shane Donovan."

"Shane Donovan. You mean, Aunt Kim's ex?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes, that's the one," she nodded. "How Kim let a sexy wealthy superspy like that one get away I'll never understand."

The two girls looked at Anna with reproach, but she ignored them. She often got looks like that when she spoke her mind.

"Donovan's a pretty common name," Chelsea suggested. "And besides, the woman didn't seem very British to me. I mean, I don't think she's related to Shane Donovan or anything."

"Probably not," Stephanie agreed.

"Phoebe Donovan..." Anna repeated, her curiosity peaked. "I'd like to meet Tony's new...client."

------------------------------------

Anna drove to the Dimera Mansion, fretting all of the way. Had she really lost Tony for good this time? She wanted so much to be independent. She wanted Tony to respect her and treat her like an equal...and not just like a pretty sexy trophy wife.

But she also had to acknowledge that without Tony in her life, it all meant nothing.

Whatever was going on with him, she would get to the bottom of it once and for all. She would not lose the love of her life all over again.

Anna gazed at the house with a combination of admiration and horror. There was a magnificence about the mansion that could not be denied. But the stink of Stefano Dimera and all of his crimes had ruined the place for her. Still, if she were to get married to Tony again, she could possibly adjust to the place. It would beat staying at the Salem Inn at any rate.

Smoothing her hands down her short skirt over her tanned thighs, Anna walked down the long sidewalk towards the main entrance. At least, she knew she was looking especially lovely today with her hair pulled back in a silky chignon, complete with her spiffy pink executive suit along with Jimmy Choo heels. Who knows? Perhaps Tony would find her so irresistible that there would be a revival of their old tradition of love in the afternoon. Or if he wanted to be angry at her, he could 'punish' her in that perfectly scrumptious way of his.

That would make him forget this latest little hussy!

After all, what woman could put up with Tony like she could? What woman could match his passion, put up with his moods and live with his screwed-up family?

Feeling more sure of herself, Anna licked her lips in anticipation as she rang the doorbell. There was one weakness of Tony's that she had always been able to take advantage of. He was absolutely wild about her in the bedroom. And that hadn't changed.

Hoping to see Tony, Anna grimaced at the sight of the dour-looking Ileanna. Well, the current Dimera maid was a step or two above that horrid Delia anyway!

"Where's Tony?" Anna demanded, brushing past Ileanna. "I have to see him right away."

"He doesn't want to be disturbed..." the maid said hurriedly.

"Illeana!" Anna scolded. "This involves big business matters. I assure you Tony will want to see me."

Shouldering past the maid, Anna made her way into the living room. Honestly, good help was so hard to get these days. Once she was back in the mansion, she would definitely have to do some reorganizing of the staff.

A voice called from the dining room.

"Miss me, my dearest Anna? And so soon after our parting?"

Tony was a sight for Anna's sore eyes. She loved it when he wore all black, complete with a gold chain around his neck. In a loose dark shirt and leather pants, he just looked so...yummy.

She had missed him. Quite a lot, although she'd be darned if she'd admit it.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dimera..." Illeana jumped in. "I tried to stop her."

"You don't need to explain, Illeana," Tony answered with a tolerant smile. "I do not expect you to tackle my tactless ex-wife."

Anna felt grumpy as she was confronted with the smell of eggs, bacon and coffee. Her stomach growled annoyingly. What she wouldn't give for some Eggs Benedict right now? This schedule at work was really interfering with her daily brunch!

Tony gave her an irritating grin, obviously reading her mind.

"The way to your heart is truly through your stomach, isn't it, Anna, dear?"

"I'd love to join you for breakfast, Tony," Anna retorted. "Thanks for asking."

Anna sat down and began to nibble at a croissant, feeling better already.

"Your appetite has always astonished me."

"I told you how poor I was growing up, Tony," she said between bites. "When you go hungry for enough years, you develop a rather long-lasting intimate attachment to food. As long as it doesn't spoil my figure, of course."

"Your figure is still ravishingly exquisite..." Tony said, that flirtatious look present in his eyes.

Anna looked away from him, refusing to get sucked into a seduction.

"So why the disappearing act, Tony?"

"Disappearing act?"

"Don't play the idiot with me!" she scolded, stabbing at a scrambled egg. "Why aren't you at the office? Why won't you return any of my calls?"

"Why, Anna, I didn't know you cared..."

"I don't care!" she replied shortly between bites. "I just have to keep up with the competition, you know."

"Why, Anna, you're such a good actress that you almost have me convinced that you actually know something about the advertising business."

Anna exercised considerable restraint by not hurling her plate of scrambled eggs at him.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead or missing or something," she shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I really don't care to have to trek out to any more of Stefano's islands or dungeons. Rescuing you from your daddy is becoming something of a bore."

Tony's eyes flashed at her with hostility. She was pleased to see that she had struck a nerve. It was nice to know that he had feelings and could get hurt every once in a while. And for a change, she could be the condescending one.

"As you can see, I am quite alive. And the last time I checked, I was not Andre."

Anna smirked with humor, despite herself.

"I just decided to take a few days off," Tony explained. "I was feeling a bit sick and I needed some rest."

"You've never been sick a day in your life, Tony," she scoffed. "In fact, you look rather disgustingly healthy."

"Do I disgust you?" Tony teased with a mischievous look in his eyes, knowing full well the answer.

"All right. Deliciously healthy..."

Anna pulled away from the breakfast table and walked up to Tony's side. Suddenly, she was no longer hungry...for food.

"Tony..." she said softly, reaching up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "I really don't want to fight any more, _cara_. Why don't we cut the battle short...?" She whispered as she caressed his lower lip. "And go straight..." She planted a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. "To the make-up round."

For a moment, Tony seemed to be giving in to her advances.

Anna smiled with anticipation. Since she had no clients, she had no appointments. Therefore, she could spend all day in bed with her long lost lover.

But a crash from what sounded like the library startled them both.

Tony's eyes hardened. He looked as if he had just remembered something unpleasant.

"Oh, just ignore it..." Anna coaxed, impatient to be naked with him. "It was probably just that incompetent maid of yours."

"As tempting as your offer is..." Tony said, reaching up towards her and pulling her off of him. "I have a lot of work to do today."

"Oh, work..." Anna poohed, sulking prettily. "Since when do you let work get in the way of...more important things?"

"Since I'm starting up this new business, Anna," he answered shortly, turning away from her. "Remember? The business that you're mocking by making this silly game out of it?"

So much for Love in the Afternoon today, Anna sulked, going back to the breakfast table. If she couldn't have sex, she'd at least have food! But that was cold consolation. The piece of toast tasted like cardboard.

"If you're so serious about your business, why are you playing hooky?"

"I told you I'm not well!"

"You're eating an awful lot for a sick man! There's enough food for at least two people..."

Anna's voice trailed off as she realized that indeed the table was set for two. So she had been right all along!

"This table is set for two, Tony!"

"EJ lives here too, you know," Tony shrugged, a little too quick to come up with a plausible excuse. "And we like to bond as brothers over breakfast, having missed so many years getting to know each other."

Anna studied the glass of orange juice by her hand.

"Does EJ wear lipstick, Tony? He doesn't strike me as the type to...bond...in that way!!! Besides EJ's been chasing after Sami and hasn't been in this house for days!"

"What are you talking about?"

Anna knew that she was right. Tony only acted this dense when he was caught red-handed!

"The lipstick on this glass! The lipstick in this hideous shade that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing! Where is she?!"

For a moment, Tony looked upset. But then he composed himself in that maddening way of his.

"I believe you have no right to be jealous, Anna. You pointed that out to me yourself when you broke up with me, remember? When I was...oh, what was that quaint word...oh, yes, 'trifling' with you..."

"So you admit that there is a woman here!"

"Yes, well, what of it?"

Anna felt like crying when she realized that he was telling the truth.

"Tony, I wanted you to take me seriously and to respect me. But I didn't think you'd just give up on me so easily!"

"I wasn't the one who gave up," Tony insisted, truly angry now. "And I wasn't the one who turned our love into this farce of a competition. You're just as spoiled and immature as you ever were. Now please go."

Anna was outraged.

"You're just going to throw me out of the house?"

"You came here uninvited."

Her shock turned to bitter anger.

"Well, can I at least meet this new girlfriend of yours?" she asked.

"No."

"Fine!' she raged, turning towards the front door. "Have fun breaking in your newest mistress! But don't play in the sheets too long, Buster, because the gloves are coming off! Your company will be in shreds by the time I'm through with you!!!"

"Don't you dare slam that..."

SLAM!!!!

"Door..."

------------------------------------

"That was Anna, wasn't it?"

Tony sullenly poured milk and sugar into a fresh cup of coffee. He had just gotten rid of one complicated woman, only to have another one walk into the dining room.

"Yes," he answered. "The former Mrs. Dimera. Truly, that woman will drive me mad!"

"I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble," Phoebe said, sitting back down at the table. "Maybe you should tell her the truth and explain what's going on."

The thought of Anna learning of Renee's possible existence made Tony shiver with horror.

"That wouldn't help matters any," he insisted. "Believe me!"

"I promised I wouldn't mess up your life and I already have..."

"We were having problems before you came along," he admitted, shaking his head. "Perhaps the years have changed us too much. I suppose I've been alone on an island so long that I have no idea how to act around a woman anymore. I don't know. I suppose I'm a condescending patronizing brute. That's what Anna thinks anyway."

"Well, you've been awfully nice to me..."

Renee...no, Phoebe...he must remember her name was Phoebe... reached out across the table to touch his hand gently. He was shocked at her gesture of warmth.

"...And I don't think you're a brute."

For the last two days, Phoebe Donovan had been wandering around the house like a scared little rabbit, seeming to be terrified of her own shadow. She spent most of her time poring through Renee's old scrapbooks and photo albums and avoiding him like the devil. Knowing that he made her uncomfortable, Tony tried his best to stay out of her way.

Slowly, he looked up at the woman who had emerged from the shadows of his past.

Phoebe was positively radiant, sitting before him with her long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in a sky-blue silken blouse and dark pants. Since she had come to the mansion, Tony had avoided looking at her. And now he knew why. Because the sight of her made him feel lost and so out of control. He felt lost in depression and memories when he would look upon her. And she was so beautiful that he could not seem to take his eyes off of her.

Something shifted in those big brown eyes of hers. She pulled her hand away from his quickly.

Did she possibly feel this intense attraction too? Was that what she was so afraid of?

"I'm sorry..." she started. "I accidentally broke a little figurine thing in the library when I was hiding in there. It looked like it was really expensive."

"I'm sure the Dimera fortune can survive without it," he smiled.

God, he did not want to feel attracted to this woman. He did not want to like her. He did not want to care for her. He did not want to feel anything for her at all.

But he couldn't seem to help himself.

Time and again, Tony had asked himself why he was being so hospitable to this woman. Why should he possibly endanger himself by taking her into his home? At the very least, it was an inconvenience. And EJ would be none too pleased when he arrived to find her here.

So what if Phoebe was Renee? Wasn't that a matter for the police? Whatever he had with Renee had ended long ago. He was not obligated to her. He had never even married her. So why did he feel like it was his duty to see this through and help her? Perhaps it was that small voice of conscience in his head. If he had never insisted on loving Renee, if he hadn't constantly been pursuing her, she would have moved on with her life. There would have been no final tryst at the Dimera Mansion. And perhaps Andre would never have gotten to her.

"But, Tony..." Phoebe said, interrupting his scattered thoughts. "I think I may have remembered something! When I realized it, I was so excited that I dropped the photo album and that's what caused the figurine to fall and crack."

"You have?"

"Yes!"

"Well, good heavens, what took you so long to tell me?"

Phoebe giggled like an excited girl as she rushed back to the library and retrieved an old photo album.

Opening it, she pointed to an old picture of Renee with her cat.

"That cat! I remember that cat's name. Moonshine!"

Tony's heart pounded as he studied the photograph. He swallowed back the unexpected surge of emotion. He had given that cat to Renee as a present. And she had treasured that animal until the end. There was no inscription of Moonshine's name anywhere in the albums. He had almost forgotten about that poor animal himself.

Possibly Phoebe could have been programmed by Stefano to remember Moonshine, but Tony doubted it. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that Stefano did not have the scientific technology necessary to make 'pawns' with memories...not during that time. His grandiose plan at that time was all about framing Roman Brady as a killer with Andre's help. It was not until later at that cursed Maison Blanche plantation that Stefano began to use brainwashing techniques on pawns such as John Black and Hope Brady. That had been a real collaboration of effort. Stefano's madness...along with Victor Kiriakis' money and Dr. Rolf's genius. But with Phoebe, the time line didn't fit.

Which led to only one logical conclusion.

Phoebe was indeed Renee. And he just had to face that fact, no matter how earth-shattering it was for him.

There was more than enough evidence. The missing years, the scar on her back, and now her memory of Moonshine.

"Perhaps..." Tony suggested tentatively. "Perhaps I should call you Renee from now on."

His words brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm always wanting to call you by that name anyway. And maybe, if you think of yourself as Renee and call yourself Renee, more memories will come."

Phoebe nodded.

"So you believe me now, Tony?" she asked, holding back a sob. "Do you think I really am Renee?"

"As hard as it is to accept, I do believe you."

Tony reached up to stroke a tear from her cheek. Her skin was as smooth as silk.


	6. Hell Hath No Fury

**Ch. 6 – Hell Hath No Fury**

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! And Anna definitely was riding high on hellish fury now!

How dare Tony Dimera cheat on her!

Brandishing a fifty-dollar bill in front of the security guard at _Dimera Advertising_, she gave the man her patent smile.

The balding middle-aged man smiled back with lewd interest, but shook his head.

"No way, lady. Fifty bucks ain't worth my job."

"I'm just asking to see one picture of one person, for heaven's sake!" she pouted prettily. "No one is going to fire you."

"Ha!!. That's what you think."

Anna sighed with exasperation. Why was everyone always so blasted difficult to bribe these days? And in the bad economy, to boot!

"Look," she whispered. "I have pull at another company. A very high prestige advertising corporation. _Lumberg Advertising_."

"Who? Never heard of them."

Anna rolled her eyes with frustration.

"We're a new company...kind of a trailblazer in the advertising business, you see."

"Uh huh," the man said skeptically.

"Look," she continued, her tone becoming steadily harsher. "I promise if you get fired, I can get you another job..."

"Promises, promises...I've heard that song and dance before, lady. I may be a fool but I'm not an idiot."

Just when Anna was about to lose all hope and leave, the odious man gave her a toothy grin.

"Tell you what though? You're a dishy broad. I'll give you the picture in exchange for a date. What do you say about that?"

Anna could not believe her ears. He thought that...she...would date...him!!!?

"A date?" she asked, feeling sick. "You want to date me?"

"Just a few drinks...that's all. And the fifty bucks."

"Okay..." Anna nodded, thrusting the money at him. She was suddenly of having unwanted flashbacks of her days with Alex Marshall. "Here."

"Thanks, doll face."

The man pulled up the mysterious woman's name on their database and printed her picture out. Then, he hurriedly shoved the paper in an envelope looking around anxiously.

"Don't know what's so special about it..." he said, wiping perspiration off of his brow. "But you got it."

"Thank you so much..." Anna said, clutching at the photo before the man might change his mind.

"Looking forward to that date!" he called out as she scurried out towards the parking garage and her car.

"Not in this lifetime, Buster..." she mumbled under her breath.

Once Anna got in the front seat of her car, she ripped the manila envelope open anxiously.

Phoebe Donovan was a brunette, about her own age. Light skin, big brown eyes...wearing a heavy fur-lined coat, looking scared. There was something so haunting about her. She reminded her of someone.

Yes! She looked like her...exactly like her!

NO!!! It couldn't be...

Everything went black.

------------------------------

"Anna...Anna..."

Anna moaned pitifully as she felt someone shaking her and slapping her face.

"What?" she whined, ready to sink back into oblivion.

"Anna, are you okay?"

"Roman?" she mumbled, awareness finally returning to her.

For heaven's sake, what had happened to her? Every muscle in her body seemed stiff. And she was still in her car.

Anna's ex-husband...well, her other ex...helped himself by opening the opposite car door and sitting beside her in the front seat. She couldn't help but notice his police car parked beside hers, flashing lights swirling.

"What's going on?" she laughed nervously. "Am I under arrest?"

"Someone saw you passed out in your car and sent in a report to the police," Roman answered, placing a hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. "Anna, are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Anna...you passed out in your car. Are you okay?"

Looking down at the photograph on her lap, the horrible discovery all came back to her. Her hands shook as she slid the picture of the hated woman back in its envelope.

"What's that?" Roman asked suspiciously.

"Just business," she shrugged, doing her best to pretend that absolutely nothing was wrong. "I have a new job now, you know."

"Yes, I heard."

Anna did not see the sense in telling Roman of her discovery. Knowing him, he would make it a police matter. At the very least, he would try to stop her from interfering. And nothing in hell was going to prevent her from finding out just who Phoebe Donovan was...and why she looked so much like...Renee.

Just thinking of that name again made Anna feel ill.

"Are you sure you're okay, Anna? You look kind of green."

"I guess I just didn't have enough to eat..." she said weakly.

"Well, tell you what? How about I take you to the Brady Pub and get you a burger?"

Anna's stomach rolled nauseously. For the first time ever, she didn't think she would be able to eat a thing. Not now. Not when she was so upset.

"I think I should just go back to the Salem Inn and..."

"Not on your life," Roman insisted. "I want to at least know that you're okay. Come on, let's go to the pub."

"Oh, okay. Fine."

Anna was entirely too freaked out to argue with Roman at the moment. She supposed she could suffer through the Pub.

As they drove through the Salem streets, Anna's mind was buzzing crazily. So if Phoebe Donovan was...(God, she couldn't wrap her mind around it)...Renee, and if she had met up with Tony, that would explain why Tony was being so secretive and mysterious. Just how long had this been going on, anyway? If her rival truly was back from the dead, Anna needed to see for herself. But how could she find out if Renee was there at the mansion when Tony had pretty much kicked her out?

"You sure are quiet there, Anna," Roman said. "Everything okay?"

Anna sneered. She was so not in the mood for small talk with her ex right now.

"Aside from fainting, sure, I'm great."

"You and Tony fighting again?"

"When aren't we?"

"Well," Roman started. "I hate to say I told you so, but..."

"Then DON'T!!!"

Roman and Anna were stonily silent the rest of the way to the Brady Pub. She realized that Roman was just jealous because she had picked Tony over him...and she knew that he was trying, in his annoying way, to be a friend to her. She was grateful for him coming to revive her from her fainting spell. But she could cheerfully kill him and just about everyone in Salem right now!

Stomping into the Pub, Anna shrugged off her coat and sank down into a booth, beyond upset.

Roman ordered her one of his favorite entrees, a Texas chili dog. She yearned to throw the mess in his face. But out of respect to Caroline Brady, she controlled herself. And she managed to even have a few sips of the swill that the Bradys called wine, despite Roman's sermons that she shouldn't drink so soon after fainting. She even had to admit that the food was doing her good. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten.

The sound of two little shrilling babies resounded throughout the pub.

"Uh oh, must be my grandkids..." Roman piped up, leaving the booth to join Sami, EJ and their brood.

Great, Anna thought. As if things weren't bad enough, now those little brats were going to give her a splitting headache. She glanced over at the group. EJ was truly comical, juggling a bottle, diapers, and a baby all at once. He had become an absolute nursemaid to those twins...all in his lame efforts to get Sami in his bed. Truly pathetic to be wasting his time with a woman who didn't want him when he had just inherited part of the Dimera estate.

Suddenly, Anna had a brilliant idea. After scarfing down several more bits of her chili dog, she joined the Brady clan near the front of the pub.

"EJ!" she smiled welcomingly. "You look a little overwhelmed. Let me help you with that."

As she took little Ali in her arms, the little demon shrieked like a banshee and nearly deafened her.

"Oh, I don't think she likes me much..." Anna cooed, trying to sound as if she cared. Goodness, was Carrie ever this much trouble?

"Darling Ali just needs to get used to Auntie Anna..." EJ joked.

"Auntie Anna..." she grimaced. "Cute."

Anna prayed to God that the little rugrat wouldn't pee on her new designer suit.

"So, EJ, have you seen Tony lately?"

EJ looked at her curiously.

"Well, I'm sure you've seen him more than I have, Anna. I've had my hands full...as you can plainly see."

"Yes. Well, actually I haven't seen him lately. And...I do have a favor to ask of you."

"Really?" EJ smiled. "Well, I love to be at the service of beautiful blondes."

"Give it a rest, EJ..." Sami sniped, grabbing the diaper bag from him.

"Yes," Anna continued, trying to ignore her eavesdropping niece. Sometimes, she just could slap that little wench silly. But she tried to focus on the objective at hand.. "You see," she said to EJ, giving him her most flirtatious smile, "I left my makeup case over at Tony's, during one of our...ahem, business meetings. But for some reason, Ileana doesn't trust me and won't let me in the mansion."

"I can't imagine why not..." Sami retorted. "You'd probably dig for the family gold."

"Sami," EJ warned.

"Oh, Sami. Hello," Anna said smoothly, deciding she had no choice but to confront the little troublemaker. "I don't blame you for being snappish, dear. I'm sure breastfeeding twins can be such hell on the figure. No wonder you're in a bad mood. And you look like you could use a little beauty sleep these days as well. Babies are such a trial, aren't they?"

"Ugh." Sami left in disgust. "Whatever."

"Anyway," Anna continued, relieved that the witch was gone. "I can't seem to get hold of Tony at all. He won't answer his cell phone. Even Chelsea and Stephanie don't know where he is. So I was wondering if it would be an awful imposition if..."

"If I would take you to the mansion so you can retrieve your makeup case."

Anna smiled prettily.

"You're so understanding. If I have to wear this cheap Maybelline garbage for one more day..."

"You're none the worse for wear, lovely Anna."

"Still a charmer, I see, fatherhood not withstanding!"

"Let me see if I can tear myself away from my paternal duties long enough to help you out."

"Okay...um, Sami, could you take cute little Ali here?"

The whining little girl obviously took after her mother, Anna thought snidely as she went to retrieve her coat and purse. She knew it wouldn't take long before she was at the mansion. As usual, Sami couldn't wait to extricate herself and the twins from EJ's presence fast enough.

"Interesting turn of events," EJ remarked as he escorted her outside of the Pub. "I thought you and my brother were no longer speaking to each other?"

"Well," Anna shrugged with a girlish giggle. "You know how we are. On again, off again. Always have been."

"I see. Makes life interesting, eh?"

"Oh, life sure is interesting all right."

As they drove to the mansion, Anna's false smile fell. She was feeling sick all over again.

Renee Dumonde Dimera Banning Marshall was the one enemy she never dreamed she would have to face down again!

------------------------------

"Renee!"

The sudden shock of Tony's voice caused Renee to jump out of her skin. The greenhouse on the outskirts of the mansion had been very deserted. And as night time was approaching, the place became downright creepy. So she had been even more nervous and jumpy then usual as she entered the mansion through the back of the drawing room.

"What were you doing out by the greenhouse? It is freezing outside.."

"I know, but I just love going out to the stables and visiting the horses every once in a while. When I just need some time alone. Anyway, since I was near the greenhouse, I found these beautiful flowers out there," she said, holding the makeshift bouquet. "I was going to use them to cheer up the guest room. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not. I even know of an available vase for them."

"Isn't that Ileana's job?" Renee chuckled.

"I'm not completely helpless," Tony protested as he took the flowers. "Oh, your hands are like ice!"

Renee pulled away from him quickly, avoiding his touch. Even so, the brief warm shock of his fingers against hers unnerved her. That was why she had needed time alone. She needed to sort out what she would do, now that she was fairly certain that she was Renee. Memories were coming back but slowly. As she was making more and more sense of her past, she was becomingly increasingly bewildered in the present.

"White roses..." Tony said quietly, almost to himself. "White roses and horses..."

"Yes," she nodded. "They're my favorite flowers. They just seem to keep me calm somehow. It's silly."

"No, it's not," he protested. "White roses were always your favorites."

"They were?"

He nodded.

"I used to give them to you all of the time."

"You did?"

Again, Renee felt that strange chill as she realized that this was no longer a hypothesis for either of them. Sometimes, the reality of her own identity seemed more than she could face.

"Did you ever read an account of how we got to know each other?"

"No. I don't think that was ever documented."

"It was during the Salem Strangler case," Tony recounted as he motioned for her to sit beside him on a nearby sofa. "You were a major target of the killer's. So Stefano had you stay at the mansion at Lee's request. I think I fell for you at first glance."

There was a sparkle in his eyes as he recalled those days.

"You had been poor all throughout your childhood. And you just were so much fun to spoil, just like a little girl. Both Stefano and I took to spoiling you rotten. I was always arranging elaborate breakfasts for you, giving you presents...and white roses. Well, those flowers always meant something to us. Even that last night at the party, I had given you white roses as a way of making peace between us."

"And here we are again..." Renee reflected. "With white roses."

"It's like fate...or déjà vu."

"Déjà vu?"

"Yes, a feeling that you've been here before," Tony said with a soft smile. "That you're reliving a moment in time all over again. That's how I feel when I look at you, Renee. Like time has just disappeared."

Tony reached out to take her free hand in the both of his own. Such a simple gesture. And Renee shivered with wanting. Even though she couldn't remember, she also felt his sense of 'déjà vu'. His touch was so familiar in a strange way.

Even so, she flinched away from him, the guilty memory of Shane flashing in her mind. Despite the fact that she had left her husband, she could not help but feel like she was cheating on him.

"I'm sorry..." Tony said quickly, backing away from her and standing up from the sofa. "It's just that with your presence here...you bring back so memories. You remind me of another time when I was another man. And I remember us...and all we were to each other once."

His voice was sad. And it broke Renee's heart.

"I understand," she said softly. "I feel it too."

"I don't think you do." Tony miserably shook his head. "I suppose that to you, I must just be this stranger...making unwanted advances."

"No..." Renee shook her head adamantly. "Not a stranger. That's why I came to find you. How can I make you understand? You seem like the only person in this world who is not a stranger to me. Well..." She added with a small wistful smile. "You and Moonshine."

Tony couldn't help but chuckle a little at her mention of the cat. And her heart skipped a beat. He was so attractive when he smiled.

"Yes...we'll always have Moonshine...won't we?"

"Yes..."

There was such a strong connection between the two of them. It felt so nice to be so close to someone. Someone who knew who she truly was. It felt right...and real.

But Tony shook his head, pushing the tender moment away for the both of them.

"I promise I won't make you uncomfortable any longer," he said. "It is unfair to you. Perhaps I should stay somewhere else for a while. At least, until you've discovered all you want to in the mansion."

He turned to leave the drawing room.

Renee's heart pounded in fear, tears coming to her eyes. He couldn't leave! That was the last thing she had ever wanted.

Mustering up her courage, she stood up from the couch and reached out to grab his sleeve.

"Tony, wait, please..."

"What do you want from me, Renee?" Tony sighed, clearly frustrated.

"I don't want you to go..." she sobbed. "You shouldn't have to leave your own home because of me. Please. I'm just so confused. Things are so complicated."

"You cringe every time I'm near you," Tony said with exasperation. "We both know that. Obviously, I make you uncomfortable when I'm around."

"Because I..." She stopped herself at first. "I feel so close to you. And I'm just not used to this. I've been alone for so long and I..."

Renee bit her tongue, hating herself for lying about Shane, but desperate not to see him walk out of her life.

"I know about loneliness," Tony nodded.

Since Renee had gone so far in her deception already, she figured that might as well see the lie all the way through. Somehow, she felt that she was powerless to stop this fatalistic connection with Tony.

"You said that, after the island...you didn't know how to act with women anymore...like Anna," she began, tentatively. "I guess I feel that way too. I don't know how to be with you...with any man. I don't remember. I know I'm all messed up but..."

She swallowed hard, preparing herself to take the plunge and finally spill out the truth.

"But I do want you."

There. She had said it, even while guilty tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"So much..."

Tony turned back to her, his eyes full of compassion. Tenderly, he pulled her close against him.

"Don't cry, Renee..." he soothed, stroking her hair. "We both have to learn how to live again. We both have to learn to recover from the madness of Stefano Dimera. Together, we'll learn."

The nearness of him so close to her affected Renee like a drug. She felt lightheaded as she inhaled deeply of his cologne. Closing her eyes, she rested her head along his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him, reveling in the feel of his silken dark shirt. He was so warm, so strong, so perfect. She knew this would happen. She knew if she let him get too close to her, the wanting inside of her would start up and never stop.

She was afraid of what was about to happen. But she was more afraid of what would happen if he walked out of her life.

"Don't leave..." she begged.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "I'm never going to lose you again. Never."

Renee looked up, knowing he was going to kiss her. And she didn't want to fight him. In fact, she even reached up and pulled his face down to hers, hungrily devouring his mouth, his love, everything that he could give her. Emboldened by her response, Tony held her even more tightly, continuing to kiss her even more passionately, taking her breath away. For a moment, she thought she would faint from the excitement and shock of the moment. But she didn't faint. She only wanted more and more and more from him...

Nothing felt this good.

Nothing.

Both of them were shaking with emotion and passion. Too much had been stolen from them. Too much had been denied them.

"If only I could make Stefano pay for what he did to us..." Tony said huskily.

"I guess no one can make him pay for anything with the way he is now," she answered, still trembling.

"No."

Renee could not stop staring at this man who had become everything to her. She couldn't stop touching him.

"Tony?" she whispered as she shyly kissed his cheek.

"Yes?"

"I really don't want to talk about Stefano."

Tony laughed until she took his hand, kissing his palm. Her heart raced as his intense eyes burned into her.

"I want to make love to you so badly," he confessed.

Renee knew that the moment was here. And there was no turning back.

"Yes..." she whispered softly.

"But it's not right," Tony protested, although he still wouldn't let go of her. "Not until you get your memory back."

"I'm getting it back."

"We need more time."

"Haven't we lost enough time as it is?"

"I'd be using you!"

"I'm giving you permission to use me."

Tony laughed.

"You're making it very hard for me to be honorable."

"Good..." Renee responded with a playful smirk. "Now kiss me again. I think I like it."

"You think?" Tony flirted, raising a devilish eyebrow. "I must be doing something wrong."

Leading her back to the sofa, Tony pulled her down beside him and proceeded to shower her with kisses.

"Mmmm... I never could resist you," he whispered.

Renee's blood raced as she sat on his lap, kissing him urgently. This couldn't be wrong, she thought as he unbuttoned her blouse. This just felt too right to be wrong.

A bloodcurdling scream caused Renee to jump out of Tony's arms.

"What the...?" she asked, disoriented from lust.

CRASH!!!

A potted plant as an air missile just narrowly missed bashing in their skulls, crashing into a nearby window in the drawing room.

Needless to say, the romantic moment was lost forever.

Hell hath no fury like an angry Anna Dimera!


	7. Hell Breaking Loose

**Ch. 7 – Hell Breaking Loose**

Tony looked about in a stunned daze. One moment, he had been lost in that world of so long ago with Renee; the next moment, he was mercilessly pulled back to the present accompanied by the sounds of screaming and shattered glass.

A pervasive chill filled the air of the drawing room, caused by the broken picture window at the back of the room. 

The sight of Anna, still wearing her pink designer suit, her hands firmly on her hips, did not lessen his anxiety. She looked like a warrior, eager to do battle.

"Are you crazy?!" Tony raged at Anna, standing up from the couch in a fury. "Are you trying to murder us?"

"Well, it's obvious that Andre never finished the job!" she answered, gesturing at Renee with malice.

Despite everything, Tony fought the urge to laugh. Amazing that Anna could still keep her wit under such circumstances. That was his Contessa, he thought with no small amount of pride. 

Suddenly, he felt horribly tortured and guilty for all that she must have just seen...for he did love Anna despite everything. The problem was he felt as if he were falling all over in love with Renee again too.

Everything was so blasted complicated! Damn Stefano Dimera to hell!

With all of the drama of his ex-wife's entrance and attack, Tony had not even realized that EJ was in the room at first. His pseudo-brother was in such shock at the sight of Renee on the sofa. Since Stefano had doted so much on Renee, EJ must have been well-schooled in her life story and had seen plenty of his share of her old photographs.

"Is that who I think it is?" EJ asked, blinking in astonishment.

"Yes," Tony nodded, putting a protective arm around Renee. "I have every reason to think that this is your half-sister."

"Renee..." Anna said darkly, shaking her head bitterly. "I never thought I'd see you again...except maybe in hell!"

Unsure of how to deal with such open hostility, Renee fidgeted nervously on the sofa, looking up at Tony like a lost deer in the headlights. This was dreadful. He had to find someway to get this situation in hand.

"But I thought she was..."

"Dead," Tony cut off EJ. "Yes, I know. Apparently, she is yet another one of Stefano's long lost secrets."

"I saw her picture, but I couldn't believe it," Anna said. "How long have you known about her, Tony? Is this what your disappearing act over the last few days has been about? You've been here..." 

Anna swallowed bitterly. 

"With her...?"

Tony nodded, wanting to crawl into a hole somewhere. He hated causing Anna pain. But he knew he needed to be honest with her, at last. All of the lies of the past had hurt so many people already.

"She came to me about a week ago, asking for my help..." he confessed.

"Oh, I'll just bet she did!" Anna remarked, glaring at her nemesis like a mean-spirited cat.

"She has no memory, you see...and..."

"You're falling for THAT!" Anna raged. "How stupid can you be, Tony? How many times are we going to have to hear that song and dance?"

"Anna, please!" Renee cried out, at last finding the courage within herself to speak up. "Tony's telling the truth about me. If you'd just let him explain, I'm sure we can all work something out?"

At the sound of Renee's protests, Anna's eyes narrowed with hot anger. She almost appeared crazy, Tony noted with concern. This situation needed diffusing...and quickly!

"Please, Renee..." he whispered hastily, grasping at her arm. "Just let me take care of this."

"Don't you dare speak to me..." Anna started in, nearing Renee like an angry tiger. "You...you VAMPIRE! Couldn't you at least have had the good grace to stay dead, you...BABY KILLER!"

EJ literally grabbed onto Anna for fear that she would hurl herself at Renee in a full-fledged attack!

"ANNA, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Tony roared. "CALM DOWN!"

"Baby killer!?" Renee repeated in shock. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, I suppose you've oh-so-conveniently forgotten how you caused me to have a miscarriage! How you caused your own miscarriage! How you did so many despicable things, doing your best to follow in the footsteps of your father!"

"Tony, what is she talking about?" Renee asked, facing him with wide eyes.

Tony wished he were in Hell. It would be so much pleasant than here.

"We'll talk about it later..." he said, futilely patting her on the arm.

"NO!" Anna raged. "WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT NOW, TONY! RIGHT NOW!"

"I'd never hurt a baby..." Renee said, truly confused. "Never..."

"Not on purpose..." Tony said, trying to calm down one woman in the room only to infuriate the other.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" Anna shrieked."

"Anna, dear heart..." EJ said, trying to come to Tony's aid as he gripped at Anna's shoulders. "You must get hold of yourself!"

Angrily, Anna shrugged him off, pointing at Tony with fury.

"You KNOW that she caused that accident! You KNOW what she's done!"

And then Anna set her sights on Renee.

"You knew I was pregnant with Tony's child..." she continued, glaring with hostility. "And you couldn't stand for anyone else to have him. Even when you were married to other men, you couldn't let Tony go on with his life with anyone else. And you tried to kill me and my baby. I swear, if Andre hadn't gotten to you first, I probably would have..."

Renee's eyes grew steadily wider as Anna continued to berate her. Suddenly, she doubled over, clutching at her head and crying out in agony."

Quickly, Tony rushed to Renee's side, knowing she was suffering from one of her stress headaches.

"Still playing the poor little girl after all these years, Renee?" Anna scoffed cattily. "Aren't you a little old for that now, dear?"

"The woman is very obviously ill, Anna!" Tony retorted. "Please show some sense of decency!"

"Anna..." EJ suggested rather awkwardly. "Perhaps we should leave."

Anna looked at both EJ and Tony defensively.

"Oh, so that's how it is..." she said with a bitter smile. "I'm the one who's indecent! I'm the one who's upsetting Renee! Poor thing...she only tried to kill me! She only caused me to have a miscarriage! And even now, she's trying to take my husband away from me!"

"Anna..." EJ said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "That was long ago. Long ago. Going off the deep end is not going to bring your child back. It won't erase the sins of the past. Now, can we please all try to act like adults?!"

"Tony..." Renee gasped out in pain. "I...need to go...upstairs..."

"Of course, sweetheart..." Tony soothed as he helped her towards the staircase. "Let me help you..."

"Sweetheart!" Anna's furious outburst carried all the way up to the second floor. "Did you hear that, EJ? Did you hear what he called her?"

Tony sighed in dismay as he halfway carried and halfway walked with the ailing Renee to the guest bedroom. 

What a bloody mess! 

Over the last week, Tony had suffered his own attacks of conscience where Anna was concerned. She'd thrown him out of her life and her bed. She was trying to undermine his new business out of some crazy theory that he didn't see her as an independent woman. She had treated him so cavalierly as if their reunion after twenty years meant nothing. He felt he had a right to go on with his life. Yet, he also acknowledged that Anna had been the only woman in his heart for many years.

And then Renee came back...the long lost ghost lover of his past come back to drive him mad.

All of the old relics being dragged up from the bowels of the Dimera mansion...all of the old photographs and films...all of the memories of white roses and Moonshine...All of these reminders made Renee real to him again. He was shocked to discover how many turbulent emotions had still been locked away in his soul, even after all of this time. 

But perhaps it was to be expected. He had never really had closure with her death. There was no time for such luxuries when he was just trying to survive the evil plots of Stefano and Andre.

And then there was Renee herself.

Tony had to admit that perhaps part of his attraction to her suited his own ego. In her eyes, he was a good man who was trying to help her. He was a kindred spirit who had suffered as she had at the hands of Stefano. He was a hero and not a victim. Through her eyes, he could respect himself and throw off the chains of the past. Renee had always known him so well, so well that she had suffered at Andre's hands because of it.

Anna was right, of course. Under Stefano's influence, Renee had done despicable things. But when he saw her as she was now, lying on the guest bed in such despair, Tony could remember the girl that she used to be. The lonely young woman who just needed shelter from the storm...

He had wanted to be that shelter back then...as he wanted to be her shelter now.

"I'm sorry..." Renee gasped, squinting her eyes through the pain..

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he soothed, stroking her hair. "You can't help it if you're ill and upset."

"No...not that..."

"What then?" he asked curiously.

She began to speak, but the words wouldn't seem to escape her lips.

"Just rest..." Tony said softly, kissing her on the cheek. "Okay?"

"Okay..." she said, between sobs.

Grim-faced, Tony made his way to face the wrath of Anna. He would have rather fenced Andre with one hand tied behind his back!

Anna was sitting on the couch, wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief, uncharacteristically silent... 

EJ was shuffling about, pacing up and down the floor of the drawing room, uncharacteristically nervous...

"Well, Renee seems settled now..." Tony said, awkwardly. "All she needs is a little rest and she'll be just fine."

"How nice for her..." Anna remarked, morosely.

"How did you find her, Tony?" EJ asked curiously.

"Actually, she found me."

Tony recounted the story of when Renee came to his office. He spoke of what few memories were coming back to her. He told of Andre's scar on her back. 

"It is all incredible, I know," Tony said. "But not entirely out of the realm of possibility where Stefano is concerned."

"But Father always seemed to be in mourning for her," EJ said, shaking his head in bewilderment. "He always had a portrait of her somewhere in the house. He named his boat after her. Sometimes, I think he was trying to model Kristen Blake into her image. Why would he do all that if he knew all along that she was alive?"

"You know what a great actor Stefano can be," Tony shrugged. "Look at all of the years he successively convinced everyone that Andre was me. I think he'd even convinced himself of that after a time."

"And with Father in his coma..." EJ continued. "I suppose we'll never find out the truth about Renee now."

"We wouldn't even if he was healthy," Tony responded. "For Stefano, the 'truth' was always what he wanted it to be at the time."

"How long are you going to let her stay here?" Anna asked resentfully.

Tony shrugged.

"Well, Renee is Stefano's biological daughter. She has more right to stay in this house than I have."

"So you're going to be living together under the same roof?" Anna continued.

"As long as EJ has no objections."

EJ shrugged.

"I suppose it would be very ungallant of me to object to my sister living under her father's house."

"Well, I have plenty of objections!" Anna finally blurted out, her inevitable temper unleashed. "How can you protect her? How can you let her live in this house? Did you forget that woman upstairs killed our baby? Did you forget how low she sank to try to get Stefano's inheritance?"

"No, Anna," Tony continued. "But that's not the point."

"No, Tony," she countered. "The point is you've always been blind to her and you're still blind now! Just like on the night when she was supposedly killed! Don't think I've ever really forgiven you for what happened that night!"

"Forgiven me!?" Tony scoffed. "As I understand it, you couldn't wait to forget all about Renee. And you couldn't wait to have Andre lavish you with all of the diamonds and fur coats that he could scrounge up, all the while pretending to be me after having killed her!"

Anna was taken aback by his verbal assault.

"I thought we wouldn't ever talk about that time any more," she pouted sadly.

"You're the one who seems determined to bring up old affairs."

"The thing is...Tony..." Anna said through gritted teeth. "Renee no longer seems to be an 'old affair'. She seems to be a very much 'in-the-now' affair! And since we're on the subject..."

EJ groaned, seeing what was coming.

"Just what were you about to do with her when I came in here?" she asked incredulously. "Relive the days of yore?"

"Any woman I care to 'trifle' with is none of your concern."

"OH!"

Anna stood up in fury.

"The whole reason that I left you, the whole reason that I even feel like I need to compete with you is because you've made me feel that way," she said angrily. "You made me feel like I needed to prove myself. You made me feel like I needed to be independent in order to gain your respect."

"As I told you before..." Tony said with a sigh. "You never needed to prove anything to me and..."

"So now, who do I find you in a lip lock with?" Anna interrupted. "Poor little Re-nay back from the dead, the perpetual lost little girl victim. She has codependency down to a science and always has. Tell the truth, Tony, you can't get enough of it, can you?"

Tony was silent. 

Anna also knew him fairly well. That was how she always knew exactly which buttons to press in order to infuriate him.

"Don't bother with an answer..." Anna said, reaching for her fur coat and purse. "At least, I found out before it was too late what a hypocrite you are capable of being. The two of you deserve each other!"

With that, she slammed out of the house, stomping out to the car.

------------------------------

"Anna's right," Tony mused sadly. "I am a hypocrite. Perhaps I am more like Stefano than I thought."

"Don't take it too hard, Tony..." EJ said gruffly, trying as well as he knew how to be a comfort. "Obviously, these are trying circumstances. I suppose I should see Anna home."

"Thank you, EJ," Tony answered with a smile. "Sorry you were subjected to all of this melodrama."

"Don't forget who you're speaking to, Tony," EJ answered, unable to restrain a devilish grin. "I'm a Dimera. I thrive on melodrama. With all the domesticity of raising the babies, I've missed that. But seriously, I would like to know what has happened with Renee. After all, she is my sister and I have a right to know about her."

"Yes, we'll all have a family chat sometime," Tony said ruefully.

EJ smirked. Dimera 'family chats' usually ended up in nothing but trouble.

"It's a shame Father's not able to see Renee again..." he mused. "I know he would want to."

"Yes, it is a pity," Tony responded coldly.

"Tony...perhaps..."

"No," Tony snapped. "I have no intention of taking Renee to visit Stefano. What good would it do? His condition is upsetting to anyone who sees him. And as for Stefano, he doesn't deserve to know she's alive...if he's even capable of recognizing the fact. He's responsible for all of this misery."

"Right," EJ answered, fairly certain that Tony would not be swayed on the subject. "Well, I'll see to Anna then."

"Yes, please do."

As EJ walked to the car, his mind was reeling from all that he had just witnessed. As he entered the car, Anna was staring blankly at the windshield as if in shock.

"Did you get your makeup case?" he asked.

"Screw the makeup case!" she spat out.

"Okay. I have a feeling that story was just a ruse anyway."

Anna remained cold and silent.

"Odd thing. Renee showing up like that...after all these years and everyone thought she was dead."

"Yes," Anna said. "And I'll bet your dear Daddy had something to do with all of this."

"Yes, he planned this all off meticulously right from the mental hospital..." EJ said sarcastically. "Didn't have to move a muscle."

Anna groaned.

"Sorry," EJ joked. "I suppose my humor is inappropriate."

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "And seriously, he's pulled off schemes like that before. You and I both know it."

There was a long miserable silence as EJ began to drive towards the Brady Pub.

"This little fling with Renee won't last," Anna sniffed with a shrug, finally breaking the quiet. "Tony's just in one of his phases. He gets this way every once in a while. He wants to feel like he's a better man than Stefano...so he occasionally gets the urge to play the martyr and save some damsel in distress. Just like he did with that Jungle Princess Jasmine!"

"Who?"

"Never mind," Anna shrugged. "It's a long story. Suffice it to say that Renee always knew how to manipulate Tony. But he'll get bored with her. You mark my words. And then he'll come crawling back to me on his hands and knees. But this time, I won't be waiting to take him back!"

"You seem awfully sure of yourself."

"Of course I am," she answered sharply. "We had a wonderful marriage. How could she even compare with that?"

Another long miserable silence.

"I just don't see how he could do it!" Anna burst out in a fit. "That woman was responsible for killing our baby. She had become just as bad as Stefano! How could he take her back? Just like at the party."

"The party when Renee supposedly died?" EJ asked, straining to follow the twists and turns of the conversation.

"Yes. He always had a weakness where Renee was concerned. And she has that lost-little-victim act down to a science. I see that hasn't changed! How could he forgive her for all she's done?"

"Tony forgave you for much over the years as I understand it."

Anna sniffed in disdain.

"Tricking a man into marriage is one thing. Killing babies is entirely another!"

"There are always two sides of a story," EJ said. "Perhaps Renee did not mean for the boating accident to go as badly as it did."

"You don't have a clue of what you're talking about! It was no accident! And don't you dare defend her!"

"Sorry."

Yet another long miserable silence.

"Phoebe Donovan..." Anna huffed. "What sort of a name is that anyway?"

"Phoebe Donovan?" EJ asked, lost.

"That was her alias she used, as it were, when she first came to town," Anna explained. "That's how I found out who she really was."

"I won't ask what methods you employed to find out such information," EJ said with a chuckle.

"Thanks."

"Donovan," EJ pondered. "Wasn't there someone who lived in Salem by that name once?"

"Yes. Shane Donovan. Funny how I keep thinking about that. I wonder..."

"Wonder what?"

"Wouldn't it be interesting if...her connection to Shane is more than just the same last name?"

"It's a long shot. But I suppose you have nothing to lose."

"No," Anna agreed sadly. "Nothing to lose at all."

EJ pretended not to see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

------------------------------

Renee trembled in agony as she lay back on the bed. The headache was only a small part of her suffering.

Tony had had no idea about what had really upset her!

As Anna Dimera had lashed into her with all of the details of her sordid past, images had begun to run through her mind. 

Flashes of memories...

Going out to a boat, planning a prank...standing in the hospital at Anna's bedside...trembling with fear that someone would find out what she had done...

Anna had told the truth. And the knowledge made Renee sick.

How could she have done such a thing?

Now she was terrified to face whatever else she might remember about herself.

"Renee, my dear..."

Startled, Renee realized that Tony was at her side on the bed. When had he entered her bedroom? She was so beside herself she didn't even realize he had been there. She was becoming completely disoriented.

She wiped at her eyes, ashamed to be seen as a blubbering idiot. Somehow, she had to pull herself together.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you need some sort of medication? A doctor?"

Renee shook her head.

"I apologize for Anna..." Tony sighed. "She can be horribly short-sighted at times and..."

"Is it true?" she asked, interrupting him. "What Anna said? Did I really kill your child?"

"It was an accident," Tony insisted. "And it was long ago. None of it matters now."

"It matters to me. The things Anna said about me...the things she accused me of..."

"She's always been jealous of you," he argued. "And you must understand, your survival is a real shock to her. Let us just say that you weren't the best of friends."

"I gathered that much."

"You mustn't let Anna upset you."

"It isn't just Anna," Renee confessed. "I know I've done bad things! And...maybe you won't want me here anymore. And I wouldn't blame you...if you want me to leave..."

Renee's voice caught with a sob.

"I don't know what I would do if..."

"No, no..." Tony held her close, quieting her down. "I don't want you to leave. Don't be absurd. You're just getting hysterical."

Renee shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to enjoy his arms around her. She would just grow more attached to him than she already was, only to lose him.

"Now just lie back and let me help you."

"Help me?" she gasped. "How can anyone help me? I'm such a messed-up...freak! There's no other word for what I am."

"I won't hear you talk this way about yourself anymore, Tony said sternly, allowing no dispute. "Now I'm going to give you a good old-fashioned temple rub. It helps a headache every time."

"I don't think that..."

"Hush. Just close your eyes."

Renee tried to stay quiet and calm herself as she felt his fingers move along her scalp and temple. When Tony was being like this, so sweet and understanding, she wanted to cry. She didn't deserve such sympathy, not if she did all of those horrible things.

"Better?"

"No..." she said stubbornly.

"That's because you're not trying very hard," he scolded. "Just relax. That's it."

So Renee made an effort to be still. 

"You should be honored. I don't give a temple rub to just any one, you know."

Gradually, Renee couldn't help but wind down a little. As she did so, she became acutely aware of the strength of his large hands. She imagined them running along her body, unbuttoning her blouse, just as he had before they had been interrupted. As she thought about what might have been, she shivered.

"Did I hurt you?" Tony asked, stopping immediately.

"No..." Renee said quickly. "No, you're really good at this." And it was true. Her headache was subsiding bit by bit...even while her shameless desire for this man was growing stronger all of the time.

"There are certain nerve endings, points of the body that are the center of pleasure and pain," he said, that husky note in his voice again. "You just have to know where they are and what to do with them."

Renee wanted to laugh. She wasn't sure if he really meant that to sound like a double entendre or not.

"Well, you certainly seem to know what to do...with my nerve endings..."

"Yes. Just one of my many talents."

Renee swallowed nervously. 

Tony was going to try to make love to her again. She could sense it in his voice and the way he touched her. And after all that had happened with Anna, she wasn't so sure that was a good idea anymore. Before they had simply become carried away by the moment; but now cold hard reality had come into play.

Think of something else, she told herself, trying to find some sort of control of herself again.

"Now that Anna knows about me, do you think she'll tell everybody?" she asked, in a grasping attempt to change the subject.

"I have no doubt," Tony sighed. "To get back at me if for no reason. But I'll protect you, I promise."

"You're good at that too," Renee smiled, softly eyes still closed. "Protecting me, I mean."

She inhaled sharply at the feel of his lips against her.

"No..." he whispered hoarsely, running his fingers through her hair. "Don't pull away."

And she didn't, although the very long and thorough kiss was maddening. As his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth, she clutched at the bedspread with her free hand desperately, making a fist of the loose material. She had never wanted anyone this intensely, not that she could remember anyway. Not even Shane, her husband. And it scared her to need and want someone so much.

"You're so addictive, like a drug..." he said, finally pulling away. "I can't get enough of you. And here I am, pawing away at you while you're ill. Forgive me."

"Actually," Renee gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I'm feeling better already."

"Good," he answered, even as she felt him move away. "Because I believe we have unfinished business between us."

The dangerous promises in his eyes made her tremble with nervousness...and anticipation.

"But for now, you must rest..." he said, standing up from the bed. "Good night, Renee."

"Good night."

For several minutes, Renee could only lie there in a trembling daze, overwhelmed with the emotions and events of the day. How on earth could she sleep after a kiss like that?


	8. The Plot Thickens

CWT Blank Document

**Ch. 8 – Da Plot Thickens**

_The next day..._

Anna grimaced over a greasy bowl of the famous Brady clam chowder. She didn't think that food would ever be good again. The stuff tasted like glue.

"So are you telling me that Tony is seeing someone else now?" Roman asked.

Anna did not want to confess her heartache to her ex-husband, but she desperately needed to unload on someone. And, like it or not, Roman was the only friend she had left in Salem, despite all of the hurt feelings from their affair last summer.

"Yes," she answered bitterly.

"Do you know who?"

She yearned to spill out the awful truth about Renee. But she simply couldn't voice it yet. Not to Roman. Not to anyone. Not yet. It was still too horrible to talk about.

"No."

"Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again..." Roman started.

Anna rolled her eyes, preparing for the inevitable sermon.

"Tony Dimera's always been a 'ladies' man' and he's hurt you time and time again." Then Roman pointed a finger at her. "AND...you've learned how to be a bit ruthless yourself, lady."

Anna swallowed back her guilt over the way she had jilted him.

"Roman," she sighed. "I'm sorry I hurt you. You must know that I never would have..."

He raised a caustic eyebrow.

"Well, if I'd know about Tony..."

"Yep."

"I thought we were still friends though."

"We are friends, Anna..." Roman said with a forgiving smile. "And friends are honest and tell each other how it is. And this is how it is..."

"Oh, good grief..." she moaned, lowering her face into her hands.

"You've got a weakness for the power and the money and the clothes, all of the stuff Tony Dimera can give you. But whenever you get mixed up with a Dimera, you're asking for trouble. How many years are you going to waste on that man until you see that?"

"I think you're confusing Tony with Stefano...or Andre."

"I'm not saying Tony's evil. I'm just saying that the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree."

"But he was a gardener's bastard!" she protested. "He's not even from Stefano's tree!"

"Nevertheless..."

Roman stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he jumped up from the table.

"Roman, what on earth's the matter with you?" Anna asked irritably.

"Kimmie!" he shouted, hurrying across the restaurant to greet his red-haired sister.

Sure enough, there was Kimberly Brady Donovan, arm in arm with Caroline Brady at the other side of the Brady Pub.

"What are you doing here?" Roman asked with a grin.

"Just wanted to visit Ma over the holidays. Oh, it's so great to see my big brother again!"

After Roman and Kim enjoyed a big bear hug, Anna approached them.

"Kimberly..." she purred, rushing over to greet the long lost redhead back to Salem. "How lovely you look! It's been so long."

Kim's return was treated like the Second Coming. So many people were coming by to say hello to her that it was impossible to try to carry on a conversation.

Anna feigned interest with dutiful nods and comments to all of Kim's stories that she could care less about, hearing more than she ever cared to know about life in California, about Andrew and Jeannie and about Kim's job with all of those poor children. All she wanted to know about was if Shane Donovan had any sort of connection with Phoebe Donovan...but it seemed impossible to get a word in edgewise.

"And how is that handsome English spy of yours, Kimberly?" Anna finally asked.

An awkward silence took over the room.

"Anna..." Roman nudged her in the side with a whisper. "They're divorced, remember?"

"Oh..." Anna answered with a small laugh. "Oh, my goodness gracious. Kim, I'm so sorry."

"It's all right," Kim chuckled with good grace. "You've been gone from Salem a long time. It's hard to keep all the details straight, right?"

"Yes..." Anna said with a small laugh. "So many Bradys, you know. And what is it they say? The mind's the second thing to go. Can't remember what the first thing is...ha, ha!"

"You will never be old, Anna," Caroline smiled with genuine kindness towards her. "It isn't possible. You're so full of life."

"Thank you, dear."

"But since you mention it..." Kim said. "I actually did see Shane recently. At Donovan Manor over Christmas."

"You did?" Roman asked incredulously. "Kimmie, does that mean that...?"

Both Roman and Caroline looked hopeful at a possible reconciliation between Kim and her ex.

"No, no, no..." Kim insisted. "Shane's married now, as a matter of fact."

"Really?" Roman said, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Married, wow! If that's the case, how in the hell did you end up spending Christmas out there?"

"Well, it's a long story..." Kim explained with a grievous sigh. "To cut it short, Eve was up to her old tricks, playing sort of a cruel joke against me and Shane's wife. Andrew had invited me up there, neither of us knowing about Phoebe and..."

"PHOEBE!!" Anna exclaimed so abruptly that Roman nearly spilled his beer.

"Yes?" Kim said, a little taken aback at Anna's reaction. "That was her name. Phoebe."

"Really!" Then Anna tried to cover up her shock. "What an unusual name. Phoebe. You don't hear that name much anymore."

Roman looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Anna had a fainted spell recently," he said as an excuse to his sister. "I think she must have banged her head too hard."

Despite Roman's jokes, Anna could have hitched up her skirts and danced a jig right there in the Brady Pub for the fabled luck of the Irish was on her side today. Phoebe Donovan, aka Renee, was Shane's wife! And she would bet her fur coat that Tony had no idea about Renee's other life as Phoebe, wife of the super spy.

"Well, the worst of it was..." Kim continued. "Well, whenever Eve and I get together, there are always fireworks. Add me showing up at Christmas only to meet Shane's ex-wife. And, well, I think it all got to be too much for Phoebe and she just took off. Left Shane flat...and on Christmas Day too!"

"How awful!" Anna pronounced, barely able to contain her excitement. This was getting better by the minute!

"Yes," Kim agreed. "And Shane's been trying to find her ever since."

"But surely with his ISA experience, he could track her down with no problem?" Roman asked.

"Believe me, he did. And that's the oddest part. The last trace of her was here at the Salem Inn."

"In Salem?" Caroline cried out.

"The Salem Inn!" Anna gasped.

That dead freak had been staying in the same hotel that she was at all along!

"And after that, she seemed to vanish without a trace. So she must be here in Salem somewhere. I don't know all of the details. But I do know that Shane is worried sick about her."

"And judging from the looks of things," Roman remarked. "You're worried sick about Shane?"

Kim nodded sadly.

"I'm that transparent, huh?"

"Yep. I still think you and Shane are meant to be together, sis," Roman confessed. "I truly believe that."

"That ship has sailed, Roman," Kim said sadly. "He has someone else now. And I think he truly cares for Phoebe."

"Sounds to me like the woman just left him high and dry," Roman harrumphed. "Some marriage!"

"Shane's determined to find her," Kim insisted. "In fact, he'll be here in a few days to see if he can't pick up her trail."

"Shane's coming to Salem?!" Anna cried out, almost jumping up and down. "That's wonderful!"

Caroline, Kim and Roman all looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Well," she shrugged sheepishly. "I confess that I'd simply love to hear that dreamy English accent again!!"

"Is that why you're here now, Kim?" Roman probed. "Because Shane's here too?"

"Of course not!"

Even Anna could see that Kim was obviously putting on a front of indifference.

"So..." Kim continued, obviously desperate to change the subject. "Anna, how's your handsome man with the accent? I've heard that you and Tony have been living it up all over the Continent!"

A shadow passed over Anna's heart as she contemplated recent events.

"Let's just say that Tony and I are have a few problems right now...but hopefully, they won't last for long."

Not if I can help it, Anna thought to herself, armed with her new knowledge about Phoebe Donovan.

_Later that evening..._

The man kissing her was not Tony!

"Something's very weird about you..." she said to the stranger. "I'm getting Roman Brady!"

Before she was able to make it out of the room, she was violently pulled back into a strong pair of arms. Struggling against him, she tried to scream...but he muffled any sound.

Then the pain in her back...the agony...the hopelessness as she felt life slipping away from her."

"Nooooo..." she called out. "NOOO!"

"It's all right. It's all right..."

The man holding her was no longer her killer but her lover.

Tony.

Renee opened her eyes, realizing that he was really beside her on the bed, holding her tight.

"Tony..." she gasped. "I'm not dead."

"No...it was just a nightmare. That's all."

She shook her head.

"Not a nightmare. A memory."

"Of Andre?"

Tony's voice hardened as he said the hated name.

"Yes."

"I'm so sorry," he soothed, holding her even tighter. "I wish I could take away all of the pain and horror that you had suffered."

"It was so scary. He was killing me!"

"Do you remember what happened afterwards? How you managed to survive?"

Renee squinted her eyes closed tightly, trying to concentrate.

"No," she shook her head sadly. "I just remember dying. I felt like I was really dying."

"My poor Renee..." he soothed, holding her in his arms.

For a while, Renee was content just to lie in his arms and let him comfort her. She couldn't help but notice the contrast of her pale arms next to his tanned dark skin. She realized that his black silk shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a very handsome chest. And then she became aware of his scent. Those thoughts led her to thinking about his strong hands...and those thoughts led her to thinking about their 'unfinished business' of last night.

Tony's thoughts must have gone the same direction too because he began to kiss her hair and her cheeks and her neck...

"Let me love you, Renee..." he murmured huskily.

Renee could think of a thousand reasons why making love with Tony was a bad idea. But at the moment, none of them seemed all that important.

"I remembered how we were that night..." she confessed.

"You did?"

Tony looked at her in surprise.

"Yes, not everything...but I remember how much I loved you, how happy I was...and...I remember what it was like when we made love for the first time."

"The first time..." Tony nodded. "And the last..." he added bitterly.

"It doesn't have to be the last time..." Renee said softly.

Tony gazed into her eyes with a hard intensity.

"Are you sure?"

"I love you..." she confessed simply. "There are a lot of things that confuse me. A lot of things I still don't remember or understand. But I know that I love you. That's what brought me here to Salem, I think. No matter what was done to me, that love remained with me."

Tony took her hand, kissing it over and over again.

"I love you too, Renee."

"You don't have to say that."

"It's true. When I was in that dungeon...and Andre taunted me with the news of your death...a part of me died too that day. And now that you're here with me again...I just want to make everything right again. The way it should have been for us all those years ago."

"I want that too."

They kissed slowly and sweetly...until passion took over.

"That night had been rushed and frantic," Tony said as he lowered the strap of her nightgown down her shoulder. "We thought we had our whole lives before us...and we were wrong. But tonight, I'll take no moment with you for granted. I promise you that."

Renee smiled blissfully as he planted kisses along her bare neck. So many sensations...some half-remembered...some discovered for the first time...

As she succumbed to Tony's seductive touch, Renee made up her mind.

Fate had brought them back together against all odds. This was meant to be. And she would never lose him again. Never! No matter what she had to do!


	9. The Morning After

CWT Blank Document

**Ch. 9 – The Morning After**

_The morning after..._

There were no more nightmares that night...

Renee stretched like a contented cat, feeling so warm and rested...except that Tony wasn't anywhere around. Pouting, she rolled over to find him gone from the bed.

"Tony?" she called out sleepily. "Tony?"

No sound.

"Jerk..." she said with a soft smile, not really meaning it.

How could she be angry at Tony after the night they had spent together? Had she ever felt so happy before? If so, that memory had not yet returned to her. Right now, she felt sublimely blissful. If she never remembered anything else, it would make no difference. As long as she could feel like this...

The man was in her blood now; and she would never get enough of him.

"So Tony, where are you?" she asked, getting up from the bed.

Pulling on a blue silken robe, Renee lazily made her way down the hallway.

"Oh...Miss Donovan, I mean...Miss Dimera..."

Ileana was obviously shocked at Renee's lack of attire, along with the fact that she had just left Tony's bedroom.

"You may call me Renee, Ileana," Renee said sheepishly as she pulled the edges of her robe together, realizing there was no way she could make up a plausible story under the circumstances. "I know how confusing it must be."

"Yes, ma'am. Mr. Dimera had to take care of some business and asked me to tell you not to wait for him."

"Oh, really?"

Graciously, Renee waited for the embarrassed maid to leave the hallway.

While Renee missed Tony's presence, she did not dwell on it. This was a rare moment of privacy; and she had to take advantage of it.

Picking up a nearby telephone, Renee proceeded to call long-distance to Donovan Manor. It was way past time to face up to her mistakes with Shane. They owed it to each other to get a divorce and be free from each other once and for all, especially now that she was certain of her identity and her love for Tony.

The phone rang and rang.

Renee was puzzled.

Their maid, Dale, wasn't even answering the phone. Did Shane give her time off? And where was Shane anyway?

She tried his private cell phone number.

Again, nothing.

"Damn!" she swore furiously.

Of all times for Shane to pull a disappearing act!

"Everything all right?"

Renee slammed the phone down with a gasp, whirling around in surprise.

"EJ!" she said, out of breath from her scare. "What are you doing here?"

"Um...I live here, remember?" he answered, complete with charming smile.

"Oh, yes, of course. You're just never here, so..."

Renee blinked nervously. She really needed to get dressed and try for some sense of decorum.

"Yes, my life is a bit complicated at the moment. Having two babies to take care of is so time-consuming."

"I imagine it would be."

"So...where is Tony, might I ask?"

"I have no idea," Renee shrugged with an uneasy smile. "He seems to have taken off somewhere. Maybe he went to his office. Should I let him know you were here?"

"Oh, well, no matter. I actually came to visit with my new sister."

"You did?" Renee asked suspiciously.

"Yes...and to reacquaint you with someone who would like to see you. Very much."

"Really? Who?"

"It's a surprise..."

--

Renee gasped at the sight of her father, Stefano Dimera.

EJ turned away, giving his sister time to compose herself from the sight of the helpless man in the hospital bed.

"It takes some getting used to..." he said awkwardly, motioning towards the bed. "Seeing Father like this. He was always such a charismatic man, you see..."

Slowly, Renee made her way closer to the bed and sat by Stefano's side.

"Stefano?" she asked. "Father? It's Renee. Can you hear me?"

EJ blinked in shock. He could not have seen his father's eyes darken with emotion at the sight of his daughter returned to him! No, it was just his imagination. Such a thing wasn't possible. Not after that stroke...

"Do you think he can hear me?" she asked. "I almost thought that I saw..."

"Lexie doesn't believe that to be the case," he answered quickly. "Although I suppose there is no way to know for sure."

She nodded sadly with understanding as she sat down at the small chair along side of the bed.

EJ turned away from his father's damning eyes.

This is what EJ hated the most about visiting Stefano. Always those black eyes were wide open, cursing him, torturing him! Even with his father as still and pale as a corpse, those eyes of the Phoenix seemed to be very aware...as if he knew exactly what was going on around him...as if he was a caged animal, trapped inside of his own body...as if his madness was spiraling to even greater depths within his own captivity.

He shuddered, knowing that such was not likely the case. It was only an overactive imagination and guilt talking.

"How long has he been like this?" Renee asked quietly, clearly disturbed.

"For months now."

"And there's nothing that can be done for him?"

"No," he answered shortly. "Nothing."

There was no point in telling Renee about the details of the family conference, no reason to discuss that fateful day when Stefano's children had decided to turn their backs on their father in the hopes of making Salem a better place. Renee would find the truth monstrous. How could she possibly understand their decision?

Sometimes, EJ himself could not even come to terms with the choice that he had made, along with Tony and Lexie.

Was that why he had felt compelled to bring Renee to see Stefano? As if somehow, the action would redeem him in his father's eyes? As if that were ever possible now...

It was much too late to hope for an absolution from the Phoenix.

"I was a fool to bring you here..." EJ said bleakly. "Tony said the sight of Stefano would only upset you."

"Oh, no!" Renee protested. "I'm glad that you brought me. Really!"

She took Stefano's hand and held it up to her cheek.

EJ was shocked to see luminous tears well up in his sister's eyes.

"Renee, are you remembering something?"

She shook her head miserably.

"Nothing concrete. Just this feeling...this strong connection to him..."

"That's understandable. He's your father, after all."

She sobbed.

"I just wish that I could remember more about him. There are so many things I want to ask him...so many things that I don't understand. I wish that he could get well somehow."

"Yes, we all do," he lied. "But it's impossible now."

"Do you suppose there is anyone who could help him?"

"Only one man comes to mind. An associate of Stefano's, Dr. Rolf. He was responsible for most of the genius behind my father's crazed experiments. But he's in prison now."

EJ immediately regretted even giving his sister that much information. The less she knew about her criminal father, the better.

"He looks so helpless, lying here like this."

"Yes."

"They say you were called the Phoenix, Father..." she said softly to Stefano. "Always to rise up once more out of the ashes. Couldn't you rise once more, Father? For me? Please try..."

The look in Renee's eyes was so intense. It was almost as if she was trying to will her father back to life.

"Come, Renee..." EJ said, taking his sister before she could upset herself even more than she already had. "This is just distressing you. You have to get a hold of yourself. And please, don't ever let Tony know I brought you here. He would have my head on a platter if he knew!"

"No..." Renee said with a smile. "I know how much Tony hates Stefano. It will just be our secret between me and my brother." Then she looked back at Stefano. "And my father..."

EJ usually considered himself practical to a fault, but the way Renee was talking about Stefano was creeping him out. And he was not a man easily creeped out.

"Come..." he motioned for her to leave the hospital room.

"Thank you for bringing here, EJ..." Renee smiled at him before rewarding him with a rare hug.

"Quite all right, my dear..." EJ said, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. "I simply thought you were entitled to see him again."

And perhaps, secretly, he hoped that Renee might somehow succeed in rousing his father. That way, he could see Stefano again; and yet, he would not have to live with the guilt of reviving Salem's most hated villain.

Before they left, Renee paused, turned back to Stefano's bedside and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Father."

Again, EJ shivered as if he had felt a sudden chill as he walked down the hospital corridors with Renee by his side.

He could not have seen such turbulent emotion in his father's eyes...

He could not have seen a tear cascade down Stefano's cheek...

It was not possible...

--

_Later that evening..._

"So, Tony, you're not going to tell me where you disappeared to earlier today?" Renee asked, still breathless from their latest bout of lovemaking.

"I told you..." he said, nuzzling at her ear. "It's top secret information."

"So what do I have to do to get it out of you?" she teased.

"Nothing will get it out of me," he insisted with a grin. "Though you may try all you like."

"Is that a challenge?" she asked.

"Do your worst."

Renee began to tickle Tony mercilessly until he managed to restrain her.

"That is so unfair!" he protested. "Okay, I'll tell you where I was if you tell me where you went with EJ."

Renee was shocked.

"How did you know that I went out with EJ?"

"Ileana is a very loyal servant."

"You mean she's a loyal spy!"

Tony shrugged.

"OK, keep your secret..." Renee said, unwilling to tell Tony about her visit with Stefano. Things were so nice between them now. She didn't want to ruin everything by making him angry.

"But seriously...I was thinking..."

"Why waste time thinking?" Renee purred, covering his chest with kisses.

"Mmmm...we must face reality some time."

"I don't want to," she answered. "I hate reality! I want to just stay like this forever."

Tony laughed and covered her lips with his fingers.

"Listen to me," he insisted. "Doug and Julie know about you. Anna and EJ know about you. It is only a matter of time before everyone in Salem will know. You are going to be bombarded with all sorts of questions and unpleasant accusations. Let's just say that you had your share of enemies in this town; and some of them are still here."

Renee nodded grimly.

"Yes, I know."

"So I was thinking that perhaps the best thing to do would be to face the whole thing head on. We could throw a party right here at the mansion."

"A party?"

"Yes," he enthused. "Don't you see? I'll be there with you to face it all. That is the best way."

"I don't know," she said uncertainly. "It's so extreme. I'm not sure I'm ready for a party like that."

"Sometimes, a good offense is the best defense."

Renee hesitated.

"Even so..."

"I'm just so happy that you're back, Renee! I want to share in with Salem! I want to share it with the whole world! What do you say?"

"If it means that much to you, Tony..." she answered, uncertainty still apparent in her eyes. "Sure, I guess so."

"Wonderful!"

Renee swallowed nervously as she contemplated the party. She had to get hold of Shane before her identity was officially made public. But how could she contact an expert spy who was determined to be incommunicado?


	10. Torn in Two

CWT Blank Document

**Ch. 10 – Torn in Two**

_A week later..._

Anna continued her dates with Roman at the Salem Pub. She continued to live on clam chowder and beer. She continued to search the pub every day for some sight of Shane Donovan...reasoning that wherever Kim was, her ex-husband was sure to show up eventually. Those two were as inseparable as...well, as she and Tony used to be.

Finally, Anna's patience paid off one night as the handsome English spy showed up, complete with tweed jacket and trench coat.

She faked a big show of surprise and waved him to come and join them at their table.

"Anna Dimera..." Shane Donovan grinned, kissing her hand. "Still as lovely as ever, I see!"

"And you're still a charmer!" she flirted back. "It's so nice to see you again, Shane."

"Glad to be back."

"Great to see you, pardner..." Roman smiled, standing up to shake his hand. "Although I'm sorry about the reason you're here."

Shane's smile fell.

"Ah...I see Kim told you about our little holiday fiasco."

"Yes..." Anna continued anxiously. "And about your MIA wife. What is her name again? Phyllis? Felicia?"

"Phoebe."

"Oh, yes, that's right."

"As a matter of fact, Shane, I was going to suggest you to come down to the police station," Roman offered. "Maybe if we combine our resources, we can figure out where she might have gone off to."

Anna's heart pounded. If Roman or anyone else in Salem found out that Renee and Phoebe were one and the same, her plan would completely go down the drain.

"No, thank you, Roman," Shane answered. "This is sort of a personal matter...which frankly I find a bit embarrassing."

"I understand."

Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Shane obviously had his own reasons for keeping up Renee's charade as well. Funny, she had been so caught up in her own plotting that she had not questioned Shane's motives. Surely, he knew that he was really married to Renee. After all, he had worked on bringing Stefano down during the Three Prisms plot. So what was his role in this game?

Oh, well. What did she care? As long as Renee got her hooks out of Tony, that's all that mattered.

"Any woman who would run off and leave a catch like you is a fool, Shane Donovan!" she said. "And when you find her, you can tell her I said so."

"Why, Anna, I'm flattered!"

Anna couldn't help but smile flirtatiously at the handsome English man. He was extremely attractive. Why did Kim let him go? And how did Renee manage to get him?

"Seriously, Phoebe's had a bit of a hard life," Shane explained. "The best thing to do is just to find her and get her back home as quickly and quietly as possible."

"Do you at least have a picture of her?" Roman offered. "We could make up flyers or..."

"No, absolutely not," Shane refused. "I don't want a fuss made about it."

"Well, I can't wait to meet this mystery woman once you find her," Roman said.

"Neither can I," Anna said, holding back a delicious grin. "Neither can I."

Shane politely smiled. But Anna sensed that it was obvious that Shane had no intention of introducing 'Phoebe Donovan' to anyone. Suddenly, his eyes glazed over as he spied someone.

Turning to look at where he was staring, Anna saw Caroline and Kimberly coming into the main pub area from the kitchen. They were both laughing over something, even as they were both covered in flour and fish.

"Excuse me..." Shane said abruptly, leaving them to go join Kimberly's side.

"Those two just can't stay away from each other, can they?" Anna mused. "Even when Kim looks like she just came from a fishing boat, Shane looks at her as if she was the most gorgeous creature on earth."

"That's love," Roman nodded. "Sometimes, even after marriages end, the feelings still last for much longer."

Anna squirmed uncomfortably in her chair as Roman began to look at her with those mournful big brown eyes of his. He was going to get all serious about her again. She could tell. And after having her heart ripped out by Tony, she was in no mood to get into anything heavy again.

"Roman..." Caroline came over to their table, handing him an engraved invitation. "This is for you. Sorry, I hope I didn't get flour on it! I have one too. It looks very fancy. I wonder what it's all about."

"Sounds like one of those darned formal affairs," Roman grimaced. "I wonder who it could be from. Can't think of anyone getting married these days..."

Roman set down his beer before ripping open the envelope.

"Guess I've got to get the old monkey suit out of the back of the closet again again," he complained after studying it.

"A formal affair in this dull burg?" Anna quipped. "Do tell."

Roman hesitated.

"Come on, Roman..." she urged, her curiosity peaked. "I'm dying of suspense."

"Promise you won't make a scene?"

Anna widened her eyes.

"Of course not!" she said indignantly. "What do you think I am? A kid?"

"Tony's throwing a party at the mansion."

"WHAT!?" Rudely, she grasped for Roman's card, almost tearing it. "LET ME SEE THAT!"

"Anna, calm down..."

Reading the invitation, she sniffed haughtily. What was Tony up to now? And she was sure that Renee was mixed up in this party somehow.

Shane Donovan and Roman forgotten, Anna grabbed her purse and stormed out of the Brady Pub.

--

_An hour later..._

Tony looked lovingly at the beautiful engagement ring he had picked out. A lovely and rare jewel...just like his adored Renee who had come back to him against all odds. After their night of lovemaking, he felt like a new man. He could look in the mirror and see a hero, not a victim. He knew that marrying her was the right thing to do. They had their lives stolen all of those years ago. It was his responsibility to make it all right again. And as for his need for freedom, she had the same needs. Having also been imprisoned for so long, she was a kindred spirit.

Quickly, he shut the velvet-encased box and put it in his suit pocket as he heard a lot of ungodly commotion out in the waiting room of Dimera Advertising.

"What is going on here?" he demanded, storming down the hallway.

"I WANT TO SEE MR. DIMERA RIGHT NOW!" Anna screeched.

"Anna..."Stephanie protested, trying to bar her entrance. "You can't go in there."

"It's all right, Stephanie," Tony said calmly before addressing Anna. "Well, what do you want?"

Anna hurled one of the party invitations in his face, almost knocking off his glasses.

"What's that about, Tony? Please explain it to me!"

Roughly, he grabbed her by the arm and led her to his office, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"Unhand me, you brute!!"

"I will thank you to act professionally when you're at this office," he scolded. "This is a place of business, not a playground!"

"You never used to complain when we would 'play' at the office before," Anna reminded him, that familiar sultry look in her eyes. "And you liked to play pretty rough as I recall..."

"I believe the operative word in that statement is 'before', Anna," he replied, turning away from her. Despite his love for Renee, Anna could still act on him like the most erotic aphrodisiac. "Times have changed."

"I don't believe that."

"You can believe what you like..." he shrugged.

"So everything we meant to each other...all the passion and excitement and love? All that you're going to throw out the window because of Renee?"

Tony paced about nervously. He hated emotional scenes like this, but he supposed this particular conflict was inevitable.

"Our problems started long before Renee and you know it," he sighed. "I'd never deny what we felt for each other, Anna. But our differences can't be solved with sex, don't you see that?"

"And I suppose that your relationship with Renee is much more meaningful and profound?" Anna cried out in a mocking tone. "Yes, I saw how pure and chaste your love for her was the other night when you were all over her. I can't believe that you're throwing away a twenty-year marriage away over a woman you had a fling with back in 1983!"

"Renee was no fling, which you well know. And we weren't married for 20 years. We were married all of a month or two before Stefano stole that from us. And we barely even got a chance to really know each other. I think that is why we've had such difficulties now. Because we never had a normal life together."

"And this relationship with Renee, the woman who you thought was dead, the woman who you once thought was your sister...that's normal?!"

Tony had no answer for that one.

"How can you be so cruel to me, Tony!" Anna asked pleadingly. "Why are you doing this to me? Making me stalk you at your office like some pathetic...wretch? Surely I deserve better than that."

Tony swallowed hard at the tone of her voice. Most of the time, when Anna was upset, she could sound like a petulant little girl. But this time, she truly sounded deeply wounded. And he knew that he was losing not only a wife and a lover, but one of his best friends as well...no matter how much she could enrage him.

Just Anna's presence in the room reminded him of all that they had been to each other once.

For the first time, he began to have his doubts about his decision to propose to Renee. Was he just being a nostalgic fool, trying to turn back the hands of time? And would he ever really get Anna out of his system, the woman he had once considered the love of his life? Was it fair to ask Renee for a commitment when he was so confused?

"You broke it off with me, remember?" he asked, fighting to keep his own voice calm and even. "I was condescending and mean, taking you for granted. That's what you said."

"Well, you were..." Anna nodded. "But I never meant for it to turn out this way!"

"You meant for me to change and do exactly what you wanted, correct?"

"Well..."

"You can't blame me for moving on with someone else. You practically kicked me out of your life."

"But I always loved you..." she said softly. "Always..."

Tony sighed sadly. Anna wasn't making this easy for him. He had no right to expect her to make it easy. And some small voice inside of himself said that he deserved all of the agony that she could dish out to him...that he was truly being a villain for treating her this way.

"You gave me an ultimatum, Anna. One that I wasn't ready to accept."

"What ultimatum?"

"Say what you want about independence...but the truth is you were angry because I didn't propose to you again. You can't force a marriage, Anna. I would have thought after all of these years you would have learned that lesson, at least."

"How dare you bring up Las Vegas to me..." she bit back. "Aren't you ever going to forgive me for that? Maybe you're more like Stefano than you let on, holding grudges and vendettas for so long that no one even remembers what they were about to begin with..."

Tony shook his head bitterly.

"You should leave here, Anna. You see, this is no good for us. We are only saying hurtful things to each other. And I don't want that. Despite everything, I would still like us to be friends."

"Friends..." Anna sneered bitterly. "Friends?! God, what a cliché! You've only been with Renee for a short time now, and you've already begun to sink so low..."

"She needs me..." Tony said, quick to defend Renee. "She respects me. She has never tried to fool me or manipulate me..."

"No, she only killed our child!" Anna cried out. "Why is Renee entitled to forgiveness and I'm not?"

"You have my forgiveness, Anna. But that doesn't make us right for each other."

"And you think Renee is right for you? If she really doesn't remember anything or have a clue of what's going on, then she's only a shell of the woman she used to be. But maybe that's what you've always really wanted."

Tony didn't want to hear anymore...and yet, curiosity got the better of him.

"What do you mean?"

"Just like that little jungle princess on the island..."

"Who?"

"Jasmine."

"Oh, yes."

"You may have forgotten all about her but I haven't. That little innocent native that you wanted to mold into the perfect Stepford wife until Alex got hold of her. And now you're doing the same thing with Renee. But once you have the wife who always does and says the right thing,...who never throws temper tantrums or makes you jealous or stands up to you when you're being a creep...do you think you're going to be happy? You'll be bored out of your skull within two minutes!"

Tony almost wanted to laugh.

"You don't even know what you're talking about," he said scornfully.

"Is Renee going to be at this party?"

At first, Tony wanted to lie. His instinct was to shield Renee from all of the hurt that Anna could do her. But then he thought better. If Renee could survive Andre's attack and twenty years of isolation, she could survive anything Anna would dish out to her. And he would not be responsible for more lies and deceit.

"This party is being thrown on her behalf."

"Really?"

"Yes. I imagine you've been talking about her to anyone that will listen."

"That's not true..."

Tony knew she was telling the truth. And again, he felt sick at hurting her.

"Regardless, there are people in Salem who know of her existence and will start to talk...if they haven't already. So we're going to face all of the controversy head on and formally announce her presence back in Salem."

Anna smirked wryly at the idea.

"You think it's all going to be just as simple as that?"

"Yes."

Anna was silent for a while. She even had a look in her eyes that worried him somewhat. She was up to something, he was sure of it.

"I wish you well, Tony..."

Her sudden acceptance of the situation made him even more wary.

"I hope you mean that."

"Of course."

After Anna left, Tony miserably sat at his desk alone with his own tortured mind. He prided himself on being able to compartmentalize. Business was business. Love was love. He hated it when everything got all mixed up and complicated. Even so, he sat there uselessly, not knowing it if had been for minutes or hours...

"Tony?"

There was a tentative knock at his office door.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

Renee stood there before him, a beautiful vision in a blue dress.

"What are you doing here?" he growled angrily. "What if you had been seen?"

"I was careful," she said with an easy smile. "EJ brought me. And I waited for Stephanie and Chelsea to leave first. I've done this before, you know."

"I see."

Tony rubbed his eyes wearily. He felt so exhausted, physically and emotionally.

"Is everything okay? You seem upset?"

"It's nothing," he said morosely, shaking his head.

"I hope I'm not bothering you," she said with an impish grin. "I just missed you so much that I couldn't wait for you to come home."

"Then don't wait..."

Grabbing Renee's wrist, Tony pulled her upon his lap and kissed her senselessly, roughly. She squirmed a little bit in shock at first. He had never treated her with anything but the utmost tenderness in all their prior lovemaking. Even so, she seemed to melt in his arms, responding to his brute force with a playful vitality of her own.

Tony's angst quickly turned into hot passion.

"Tony..." she whispered breathlessly. "You're such an animal today. I think I like it..."

She was so sweet and simple and sexy. No demands or ultimatums upon him. No expectations.

The perfect Stepford Wife.

Was Anna right, after all?

God, his heart was torn in two!

Renee looked at him with such love and hope and trust. How could he hurt her when she had been left alone and abandoned for so long...mostly because of him?

And he truly loved Renee. He was certain of that.

If only he didn't still love Anna as well...


	11. Let's Get This Party Started

**Ch. 11 – Let's Get This Party Started**

_The night of the party..._

"Ah, you look enchanting...like one of those 1930s movie goddesses of the silver screen..."

Tony applauded as Renee made her way down the long staircase.

With her hair pulled back in a curly chignon, Renee was poured into a midnight blue satin dress that hugged every curve with daring precision. Smiling flirtatiously, she whirled around, posing.

"I guess I do look a little...what's the word...retro?"

"Timeless..." he qualified, kissing her hand. "Beauty that will last forever."

"And you look quite elegant in your tuxedo, sir..." she answered with a giggle.

"Thank you, my dear..." he bowed mockingly before pulling her close to kiss her.

The excitement and the adrenaline of the evening was stirring up Tony's libido. He just wanted to hold Renee close and never let her go. But there would be plenty of time for all of that later.

"Tonight will be perfect," he crooned, stroking her lower lip with his thumb. "I just know it."

"I hope so, Tony."

As radiant as Renee looked, Tony was not convinced of her sincerity. She had that all-too-familiar nervous expression.

"Still worried about tonight?"

She pulled away from him abruptly, frowning.

"I wish you wouldn't be afraid," Tony coaxed. "I'll be there to protect you. Don't you know that?"

"Yes, I know," Renee admitted. "I just have such a bad feeling about tonight."

"Why?"

"I don't know," she shrugged desperately. "I suppose it's the idea of facing all of those people who hate me and think that I am just like my father. I am sure there will be lots of people at the party tonight who will be horrified to know that I'm alive."

"Granted, there will be some tension. But that is to be expected. Besides, what do we care what they think? You've been so brave with all you've been through. After Andre's attack, your captivity and amnesia...well, after all of that, what's a little party?"

Renee laughed, accepting his encouragement but not thoroughly convinced.

Pacing around the foyer, Renee was stunned as she saw all of the preparations taking place. There were caterers and florists. The drawing room has been converted into a small ballroom, complete with an orchestra.

"My goodness, you're really going all out for this party, aren't you?"

Tony nodded.

"It's been a while since this house has seen laughter and love, music and dancing. I'm hoping we can chase away all of the ghosts of the past. And tonight will be a new start for the Dimera family. A new beginning!"

Renee looked at him oddly.

"How so?"

"You'll see..." Tony answered mysteriously. "In the meantime, perhaps you should wait in your bedroom. No need to cause people to faint the minute they walk through the front door."

Renee smiled softly as she turned to go back up the stairs.

"I suppose this is a little bit fun, dressing up for the party, all of the excitement..."

"That's the spirit!" Tony encouraged. "Just remember I love you. Everything will be all right."

"I love you too..."

The doorbell rang.

"Our first guest. Go upstairs quickly!"

* * *

_A half hour later..._

Perfect, Anna thought to herself..

All of Salem was at the Dimera Mansion tonight. The pillars of Salem society – Mickey and Maggie Horton, Doug and Julie Williams, Caroline Brady. The power brokers – such as Victor and Phillip Kiriakis. The younger set – such as Chelsea and Stephanie along with their respective boyfriends. And even a few losers such as Sami Brady and Kate Roberts...

Everyone was there, except for Kim and Shane...

They were unavoidably detained by a malfunction with Shane's car. At least, they'd better be detained, Anna grumbled to herself, after all she had paid that man to do her dirty work for her! Project Renee was becoming quite an expensive proposition. But if Anna won Tony back, it would all be worth it in the end.

"Anna..."

The familiar voice made her heart ache as she turned to face her ex-husband, looking sinfully handsome as always.

Tony walked over towards her, tension vibrating from his entire body. Despite how angry he was with her, she could see the attraction burning in his eyes. She would bet anything that if they were alone right now, he would ravish her right there in the foyer. Just like the good old days. Alas, it was not to be.

Not as long as Renee was around to spoil their happiness.

Despite her competition (or perhaps because of it), Anna had gone all out tonight. Dressed to kill, she was all in red with matching dress, shoes, evening bag, lipstick and nail polish. Jungle red...the color of blood! And there would be blood tonight. She had made sure of it! As long as everything went according to plan...

"What a surprise to see you here..." Tony said. "An unexpected surprise."

"You know I'm always full of surprises."

"Yes."

"What, no continental hand kiss, Tony?" she teased. "You're losing your touch, mon chere."

"Where are my manners?" he smiled, taking her hand to his lips. "I must have been swept away by your beauty."

Anna wasn't sure if he was serious or joking. Even so, she bit her lip, suddenly wanting to cry. She missed him more and more every day. Life was so unfair. Tony belonged to her!

But soon...she told herself. Soon.

"Evenin', Tony..."

Roman's voice broke into their moment.

"I see you're already makin' the moves on my date, Tony..." he said, only half teasing.

"She's all yours, Roman. Pleasure to have you both here. Please help yourself to refreshments."

The two men traded malicious smiles.

Anna's spirits rose. She simply loved it when she had men jealous over her. And she relished in the jealous gleam in Tony's eyes which he was unable to conceal. At least he still cared about her a little.

Tony left to mingle with his other guests...and the world was a duller place.

"Well, I see Tony's really spruced this place up..." Roman remarked. "Stefano's digs don't look as gloomy as usual. Looks like we're in for quite a party."

"Yes," Anna smiled. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

"Anna..." Caroline Brady joined her side. "Have you seen Kimmie around? I've been looking everywhere for her. She was supposed to be here by now."

"No, Caroline...I'm afraid I haven't seen either Kimberly or Shane," Anna answered, striving to sound as guileless as possible. "Were they supposed to be here?"

"Yes..."

Caroline looked around furtively before confiding in Anna.

"Listen, I'm not supposed to talk about this but Shane got a hot tip about that missing wife of his. And he was coming to the party tonight to follow up on it. I was sure they were coming to the party together."

"Perhaps they're just running late?"

"That's so unlike Shane. He's never late, especially when he's on a case."

"I'm sorry, Caroline..." Anna smiled with a shrug. "I wish I could be of more help. But listen, maybe it's not a good idea to be talking about Shane's wife. You don't want to compromise anything by talking too much."

Caroline nodded.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm just worried about Kimmie, that's all."

"Is something wrong with Aunt Kim, Grandma?" Sami asked, joining the group, uninvited...as usual. And as always, EJ was following Sami around like a devoted puppy.

"I'm just worried about her," Caroline said. "Something very strange is going on here."

"Yes, there are a lot of strange things happening tonight," Sami nodded. "And why is Tony throwing this crazy party anyway? Do you know what it's about, EJ?"

"No, darling..." he shrugged nonchalantly. "I haven't a clue."

Anna exchanged furtive glances with him. He knew darned well this was a coming-out party for his long-lost dead sister as well as she did!

"And where is Tony anyway?" Caroline asked.

"I couldn't say," EJ answered. "My brother's been very secretive as of late."

Feeling rather nauseous, Anna knew where he was. Upstairs...with her...

Quickly, she put the caviar hors d'oeuvre back onto the catered tray with a shudder. She was certain she wouldn't have her appetite back until this night of horror was over with.

* * *

Renee sat in front of the mirror, staring at her image. She looked beautiful, perfect. Every inch the lady of the manor. Every inch Stefano Dimera's daughter.

So why couldn't she stop shaking? Why was her stomach lurching? Why was she breaking out in a cold sweat?

How had she let Tony talk her into doing this mad thing? She must have been out of her mind with love. She had been so drugged with his kisses that she had lost all common sense.

But now cold hard reality was biting into her.

She had a bad feeling about tonight. And she remembered that other night long ago, when there was a party like this one...and she had felt just this way...only for the nightmare to begin...

"Renee?"

"Oh!!"

"I'm sorry..." Tony smiled, coming over to embrace her. "Poor dear, you jumped so out of your skin. I didn't mean to startle you. Are you ready to face your guests?"

"No..."

"Don't lost your nerve now," he coaxed.

"I never had it to begin with."

Tony leaned over behind her at the vanity. In the reflection of the mirror, she saw him lean over and nuzzle her neck. The feel of his warm soft mouth against her neck took her to that far-off safe place...if only for a few seconds...

"Will it help if I tell you that I have a wonderful surprise for you?"

"You do?"

"Yes. A wonderful romantic surprise which I hope you will like very much."

Renee sighed softly. It felt so perfect, being herself again...with Tony by her side. She had every right to reclaim her life and her identity.

"Okay," she agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Tony announced at the foot of the stairs, interrupting the flowing conversations all about. "Please...I'm sure several of you here have heard the rumors about Renee Dimera and her sightings in Salem. Well, I am here to tell you that those rumors are true. Renee is alive and has returned to us. Please. Everyone, welcome her back to Salem. Renee?"

As Renee walked down the staircase, facing the shocked gaze of so many people, she felt a surreal sense of unreality. This was just a strange story or movie, not really happening. So many people looking at her wide-eyed and in shock. Wasn't that Maggie Horton, covering her mouth with her hand in disbelief? And Doug Williams had a firm grasp on his wife, obviously hoping that Julie wouldn't make a scene. And there was Anna, standing in the corner, seething with hatred...

"My dear," Tony gestured for her to join him. "Come greet our guests."

She was glad Tony was there at her side for she felt dizzy and faint for a few seconds, even as she plastered a fake smile on her lips and nodded at the shocked guests.

"I know this is very strange for you all..." she said.

Even as she uttered her words, she heard more gasps throughout the drawing room.

"It's very strange for me too. I've lost a lot of my memory, so forgive me if I don't remember you all. Tony's trying to help me jog my memory. And I'm happy to say that it's working. I'm remembering more every day."

Tony continued to explain more details about Renee's disappearance and her return to Salem. And Renee stood there, horribly tortured. She hated feeling like a freak; and now, she felt more like a freak than ever before.

"Renee..."

A stunning blonde woman approached her with an extended hand.

"I'm Marlena Black. I used to be your psychiatrist."

"Oh, yes..." Renee smiled, nodding. "Marlena. Of course, I know about you. Your history with my father was...well documented."

"Doc...do you really think you should...?"

"Roman..." Marlena interrupted, waving a hand at her ex. "I believe Renee was just as much a victim as all of us. In fact, according to Tony, she has lost more years than any of the rest of us because of Stefano's madness."

"Or this could be just one more crazy Dimera trap."

EJ came to his brother's defense.

"Tony would not be party to any such games as my father, Roman. Surely you know that."

"And what games are you up to, EJ?" Roman countered bitterly, obviously miffed about EJ's involvement with Sami.

"Please..." Renee interrupted, before things got out of hand. "I realize that my father, Stefano Dimera, hurt a lot of people here, Mr. Brady. And I'm sorry about that. I know that you and Marlena particularly suffered at his hands...along with John Black. But please believe me. I had nothing to do with any of that."

"She was a victim of Stefano's," Tony stepped in. "Just as so many of us here have been at one time or another. Let us put the past in the past. She is just trying to put the pieces of her life back together again; and we would be so appreciative of everyone's support."

"I know all too well what it is like, suffering from Stefano's mind games," Marlena nodded. "I was a captive. I had amnesia. I lost my home and family for many years. I can relate all too well to what you've been through. I'd like to help you, Renee, if I can."

Renee took Marlena's hand in thanks.

"I would be so grateful."

"Thank you, my friend..." Tony grinned. "So now let's celebrate Renee's return and have some music. This is still a party, after all."

He motioned for the orchestra to begin to play.

"We are also honored to have the operatic star, Chloe Lane, here tonight to sing for us."

Chloe, dressed in a beautiful green sequined gown, curtsied and made her way into the drawing room by the orchestra.

"Well..." Chloe smiled awkwardly. "After that shocker, I'm going to have a hard act to follow but here goes."

As Chloe began to sing one ballad after another, the guests slowly began to relax and enjoy themselves again. In the meantime, Renee was besieged by several guests, some of them friendly, some of them obviously hiding rancor from days of old. She was feeling one of her stressful migraines coming on. Especially at the sight of Anna joining the throng around her!

"Anna..." Renee stammered, finding her voice. "Thank you for coming."

Anna did not bother to exchange pleasantries.

"Enjoy it now, dear..." she said with a catlike smile. "While it lasts..."

Renee looked around nervously for Tony. Where was he? So much for being her protector!

"Please...Anna..."

Renee grimaced as she strained to find the words that she would have said to Anna years ago. Where was her courage and gumption? Had it all disappeared?

"Another headache coming on, dear?"

"This next dance is dedicated to Tony and Renee...reunited after all of their years apart," Chloe Lane announced to the crowd. "Renee? Could you please join Tony in this next dance?"

Renee smiled, grateful tears in her eyes, as she joined Tony's side. He had saved her after all!

_This is insane. All you did was say hello. Speak my name. Feeling your love like a love I used to know...long ago. _

Renee smiled up with wry humor into Tony's eyes.

"This song is eerily appropriate."

"I thought it suited our odd little love story perfectly. And we never had our own song. I thought that it was about time that we had one."

_How can it be? With a different space in time come to me? Feel like I'm home in a place I used to know long ago. _

"I do feel like I'm home..." Renee confided as she nestled close in his arms. "Dancing with you like this, I feel like I'm home."

"I feel the same way."

_Déjà vu. Could you be that dream man I once knew? Is it you? _

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving me from Anna. She was really on the warpath."

"I'm honored to be your hero. But you don't know how strong you really are. You don't need me to save you."

_Déjà vu. Could you be that dream man knight come true, shining through? I keep remembering me I keep remembering you. Déjà vu. _

"This reminds me of how happy we were that last night together," Tony murmured in her hair. "We were going to go downstairs and shock everyone with the news of our engagement."

"Before everything went wrong..."

"Yes."

"I wonder how different our lives would have been...if only you hadn't gone to that damned wine cellar..."

Renee hated herself, but suddenly she couldn't hold back a sob.

"Oh, no..." Tony soothed, kissing the tear from her cheek. "This isn't what I wanted at all. No more tears..."

Taking both her hands, he stopped dancing and led her in front of the orchestra.

"Forgive me, I meant to do this in a more dignified way but...you've driven me to desperate straits."

Suddenly, Tony fell upon his knee and pulled out a velvet box.

The orchestra stopped playing.

"Renee, I am asking you to become my wife. Just as you were meant to be my wife all those years ago. Let's make everything right again. Turn back the clock and be happy...the way we were fated to be."

"Oh, Tony..." Renee gasped, overwhelmed, barely aware that she was crying. "My God..."

"Say yes..."

"Yes...oh, yes...my love..."

Uproar and applause carried on throughout as the couple embraced and kissed, deeply in love.

* * *

"Anna?"

Caroline Brady reached over to touch her on the sleeve.

"Dear, are you all right?"

Anna tried to reply with her usual quick wit and humor. But the words wouldn't come. She felt like she would crack into a million pieces if she so much as uttered one syllable.

"This has to be so hard on you, dear?" she comforted. "Perhaps we should go outside."

With one hard gulp, Anna downed what must have been her fifth glass of champagne.

"And miss my front-row seat to this farce?" she answered, finally finding her voice. "You have to be kidding me!"

"Come on, Anna..." Roman coaxed her. "Let me take you home. If I'd known this was going to happen, I never would have..."

"No way, Roman. The party's just getting started."

Her expression was as cold and brittle as the ruby necklace around her neck.

"I propose a toast to my brother...and his fiancée..." EJ announced, holding up his champagne glass. "May they know nothing but happiness in their new life together."

"JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"

Anna smiled in relief.

Shane Donovan's accent had never before sounded so beautiful!


	12. A Different Perspective

CWT Blank Document

**Ch. 12 – A Different Perspective**

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

The ballroom was filled with gasps as Shane Donovan stepped forward, pointing an accusatory finger at the embracing couple.

"Shane!" Kim cried out, frantically chasing her ex-husband into the ballroom. "What are you...?"

She stopped short at the sight of Shane's wife, Phoebe, in the arms of Tony Dimera!

Reeling back from the sight, Kim could not believe it. This was simply one more strange occurrence on a night chockfull of bizarre incidents.

Originally, Kim had not even planned on coming to Tony's party. But Shane had insisted that she not only attend but also bring him along as her guest because he supposedly had a lead about where Phoebe might be. For some reason, he was convinced that the Dimeras were involved with his wife's disappearance, but he wouldn't go into any more details than that.

Even while scurrying to get dressed in a semi-formal green evening gown, Kim had reservations about going anywhere with Shane. Especially since she kept dreaming about her ex-husband ever since last Christmas...remembering how things used to be between them...remembering when she had been the wife in Donovan Manor. That seemed like a whole other lifetime ago...and a much better life, at that...

Knowing that he was now married to another woman only made all of those memories more bittersweet.

Still, Kim rarely could ever refuse Shane anything. And that hadn't changed.

On their way to the Dimera Mansion, Shane's car inexplicably broke down. For the longest time, he couldn't figure out what had happened to cause the accident. After a half hour of tinkering under the engine, he pronounced that it was deliberate sabotage. Once the car was towed off to a repair shop, they finally managed to get a cab to the party...only to be faced with this new drama.

Admittedly, Kim had not even recognized Phoebe at first glance. The scared and shy woman that Kim had met in England last Christmas seemed to have bloomed into a beautiful butterfly. As Phoebe smiled up into Tony's face with laughing eyes, she was radiant, remarkably beautiful. She had the look of a woman deeply in love.

"Unhand my wife, Tony Dimera!" Shane growled, taking a threatening step toward the couple.

Desperately, Kim put a hand on Shane's arm in a feeble attempt to restrain him. He looked so angry that she worried that he might throw a punch at Dimera. This was so unlike Shane to violently go off the handle like this. He was usually so cool and collected, meticulously planning out his strategy before making a move. He was never so...openly dramatic.

Trying to defuse the situation, Kim looked pleadingly at Tony.

"Forgive us for spoiling your celebration, Tony...but that woman..."

She pointed at the brunette in the blue dress by his side.

The woman Kim knew as Phoebe swallowed hard with horror, looking for all the world like a deer caught in the headlights.

"That woman is Shane's wife," Kim confessed. "She's been missing ever since Christmas."

"Shane's wife?" Tony asked, dumbfounded. "Have you both gone mad?"

"Shane...Tony...please..." the accused woman whispered, beginning to visibly shake. "Please...let's just go somewhere and talk about this."

"You mean this is true?!" Tony exclaimed.

"I'm taking you home, Phoebe..." Shane said. "Back to England. Now!"

"You will not take my fiancée anywhere!" Tony rebutted, looking very upset. "Renee, will you please explain this to me?"

"Renee?" Kim asked, repeating the name. "You mean..."

She gasped out loud as the realization hit home.

Could Tony possibly be talking about...Renee Dimera?

Kim had been living in Europe during the time of the Salem Slasher murder case. But she was familiar with the history of the notorious crimes, especially since her brother Roman had at one point been thought of as the murderer. She could still remember how agonized her family had been when they all had believed Roman to be dead in an explosion. Those were hard times for the Brady family.

Even so, Renee had only been one of many victims, a photograph in a newspaper. Kim never would have recognized her in person. Even if she could wrap her mind around the idea that Renee was still alive.

"Phoebe?" Tony repeated, trying to make sense of it all as he shook his head. "Phoebe Donovan." His eyes hardened bitterly. "Of course, Shane Donovan was the ISA agent who rescued you. Shane Donovan...your husband..."

He laughed loudly, although it was obvious there was no real humor in his laugh.

Tony Dimera had not always been Kim's favorite person. Back when they first met, she thought he was entirely too smug and in love with himself. And his family history won no brownie points with her either. But the hurt look in his eyes broke her heart. He truly looked devastated.

"Tony..." Renee said desperately. "Please let me explain..."

"How can you possibly explain this?" Tony asked, hurt. "How could you accept my proposal when you were married to someone else? How could you have gone all of this time, lying to me?"

"But I didn't know who he was!" Renee cried out. "I didn't know who I was!"

"Amnesia or no, you knew you were a married woman when you claimed to love me!" Tony hissed. "There is no excuse for that lie, Renee!"

"Tony...I meant to tell you..." Renee pleaded. "Please believe me. But it never seemed to be the right time and...I was trying to find Shane...and get a divorce..."

"Oh, really?" Shane huffed bitterly, jumping into the fray. "And when were you going to inform me of this decision, Phoebe? Or is it Renee now? I truly can't keep up!"

"Shane, I've been trying to get hold of you for weeks now..." Renee gasped. "But you were off God knows where and I couldn't find you!"

"I WAS OFF LOOKING FOR YOU!! After your bloody disappearing act..."

"I left you a note!" Renee answered back, indignantly. "I explained how I felt. I was just trying to find out who I really was. And then I found Tony...the memories of my life have been coming back..."

Renee's eyes filled with tears as she kept talking.

"I remember being Renee, Shane. I know who I am now. I'm sorry. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, but I belong with Tony and he loves me. We were meant to be together and we're going to be married."

Tony was dangerously silent, his eyes flashing with fury.

Kim swallowed sickly, dreading what was sure to come.

"That's right?" Renee asked pitifully. "Isn't it, Tony? We're still engaged?"

"I've been lied to all my life..." Tony answered bitterly. "My mother told me I was a Dimera when I was really a gardener's bastard. And then I grew up with Stefano, a man who made a career out of trickery and deceit. I've lost so many years because of dishonesty! And now, to find out how you've lied to me...when all I've ever tried to do is help you..."

"Tony..." Renee sobbed. "Please..."

"Do you even have amnesia?" Tony asked. "I had my doubts about your story from the start. And now, I've been proven right."

"No..."

"But one thing is for certain. You are definitely Stefano's daughter...and you've inherited his talent to manipulate and to lie..."

"Tony, please don't say that...!"

Renee reached out for him, but Tony shrugged away from her touch, backing away from her.

Watching the awful scene, Kim's heart was breaking for the both of them.

"Take back your wife, Donovan..." Tony snarled, turning to storm out of the drawing room. "Take her back to England with my blessing!"

"WAIT!! TONY!! PLEASE!!"

Renee tried to run after him, but suddenly clutched at her head before passing out on the ballroom floor in a dead faint.

"Someone!" Shane cried out. "A doctor! Hurry!"

Dr. Lexie Carver came to the rescue. Along with her husband, Abe, they managed to get Renee to a nearby sofa.

"She's suffered stress migraines for some time..." Shane explained. "I imagine this is one of her attacks."

As Lexie called for an ambulance to take Renee to the hospital, Kim was shocked to witness a very drunk Anna Dimera applauding and laughing.

"Bravo, Renee...bravo..." Anna slurred. "Another award-winning performance..."

Kim had a funny feeling as she remembered a conversation she had had with Roman and Anna at the pub. she recalled Anna's unusual interest in Shane and the disappearance of his wife. She had behaved so oddly that night.

"Why do I think that you had something to do with all of this tonight, Anna?" Kim asked suspiciously.

Anna raised a haughty eyebrow.

"Me? Why, HOW DARE YOU!!"

Roman stepped in, taking Anna by the arm.

"Anna, I'd better take you home before you get yourself in trouble."

"Roman..." Anna cried out as she stood up, weaving back and forth, completely crocked. "Did you hear what your sister said to me? Why, if it had been up to me, that dead freak would never have come back to Salem!"

"That's it. Let's go."

Unable to take any more melodrama, Kim went outside to get some air. This night had just been too crazy.

Despite the chaos inside the mansion, the night outside was quite pleasant. Spring was finally making an appearance. She took in the sweet air of fresh pine and gardenias. Walking around nervously, she realized that she had made her way to the Dimera stables. And there were so many memories there, during the time when Neil and Liz owned this mansion...and she would go horseback riding with Shane...

Biting her lip, Kim tried to hold back the tears as she remembered those days when they were crazy in love. The adventures in England and Miami. The ordeals of blindness, Emma, Victor. Their little boy, Andrew, born out in the wilderness...

Bittersweet memories from a better life.

"I thought I might find you here."

Kim swore to herself as she heard Shane's voice. Hurriedly, she brushed away her tears.

"It's been a night full of surprises, hasn't it?" he asked, a quirky smile on his face.

Suddenly, Kim was incensed.

"Oh, it sure has. And here's another one...!"

WHAP!!

The imprint on Shane's cheek was red and vicious. And Kim was so angry that she couldn't even bring herself to feel any remorse for her violence.

"What was that for?!" he asked, wincing as he touched his injured face.

"I never would have believed that you could be capable of being such a cold-hearted villain, Shane Donovan!"

"What are you taking about?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Kim asked, incredulously. "What the hell kind of an act were you pulling in there? What are you up to?"

Shane shook his head, his jaw clenching.

"Kim, you don't know what you're talking about."

"You may be able to fool everyone in Salem, but you can't fool me, Shane! I know that I saw a really good performance in that ballroom tonight, a performance that destroyed two peoples' lives. And I also know something else. When I was at Donovan Manor last Christmas, you had to have known all along that she was Renee Dimera!"

Guiltily, Shane averted his eyes from her.

"Leave it alone, Kim."

"I'm right, aren't I?!" she continued. "You spent so many years trying to bring down Stefano Dimera that there was no way you wouldn't have known that she was Renee. So why did you marry her? Why did you keep her in the dark about who she was? How could you do that to her?"

Shane refused to answer.

"I haven't forgotten the shock of when I found out that you knew all along that Roman wasn't really dead...all of those years ago. When you sacrificed his safety to help your brother, Drew."

"Oh, Kim...please don't bring that up again!" he said, exasperated.

But she stubbornly continued.

"I found out then how thoroughly capable you are of deception. I'm just disappointed that you never learned anything from that experience..."

"Please stop!"

"You'd truly do anything for the sake of bringing down Stefano! Anything for the sake of the ISA and your ego! And I thought that I had been a prostitute...but you...you really take the cake!"

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, KIM, I DID IT FOR YOU!!"

There was a long confused silence as Kim tried to get her thoughts together.

"What?"

"I had to marry Renee...to keep you safe, to keep Andrew safe...and Eve...and Jeannie. My entire family. Don't you understand?"

Kim shook her head, completely at a loss.

"Renee supposedly died before I ever even came to Salem," she shrugged. "How am I supposed to understand any of this?"

"Come..." Shane beckoned, sitting down in the hay, beckoning for her to join his side. "Let's talk."

"This will really mess up my dress, so it better be worth it, Captain Donovan!" Kim quipped as she sat next to him, feeling an odd sense of going back in time as she sat next to Shane. The nearness of him...his scent, the heat off his skin...transported her back in time.

But she tried to focus on the present before the longing for the past would swallow her up.

"Do you remember last year when Stefano was sure he was dying?"

Kim furrowed her brow.

"Yes. Ma wrote me about all of the horrible things he had done. That was the time he made Kayla operate on John Black and get his kidney...and then he tried to get those stem cells from Sami's twins...and poor Benjy..."

Kim shivered.

"It makes my blood run cold when I think of what he did."

"Yes," Shane agreed. "Stefano knew he was dying and was doing whatever he needed to in order to survive. But he saw that his empire was falling apart. Andre was on the verge of a complete psychotic breakdown, no longer able to keep up his charade of being Tony. Elvis was no longer being the good Dimera soldier. Bart Biederbecke had been killed. Slowly and steadily, everything was spiraling out of control. There was no one left that he could trust. And that's when he contacted me...with some pretty nasty threats..."

"He threatened to hurt me?"

"And Andrew and Eve and Jeannie. Kim, you couldn't know this but Eve was attacked shortly after our conversation. She could have been killed."

"Dear God!"

"Yes. So, you see, I had to do what he asked. In the event of his death, I was to retrieve Renee and make sure she was 'well provided for'. He didn't spell out that he wanted me to marry her, but the meaning was clear."

"But we all thought she was dead. How did she survive?"

"I don't know. I was as shocked as you are when I found out that she had somehow survived. I can only assume that somehow Stefano had managed to save her life after Andre's attack. Although the way he treated her afterwards, I really don't see why he bothered to keep her alive..."

"What do you mean?"

"Once Stefano fell into his mysterious coma, I began to get more threats from employees of his who would make sure that I lived up to my end of the bargain. I was given directions as to where she was hidden. Kim, Stefano had kept her locked up in a castle for years. Do you remember when your mother and Victor had been held captive together after the break-out from Melaswen?"

"How could I forget?"

"Renee was there too. She lived in the lap of luxury, but she was like a lost little girl. She had no idea who she was or what was going on. It broke my heart. Who knows what Stefano had done to her to get her into such a state?"

"And why would he do that to her?"

Shane shook his head.

"We're not likely to ever find that out now..."

"That man has ruined so many lives."

"Yes...and it's not over. I had hoped to get to the party and get to her before she was revealed to be alive. Obviously, Stefano wanted her hidden away for a reason. Now everything is out of control...and we're still in danger. That's why I went ahead and made that scene at the party. If nothing else, I hoped to convince anyone working with Stefano that this was out of my control. Maybe there won't be any repercussions. I don't know. Perhaps someone's trying to kill us already! There's that little matter of my car being sabotaged..."

"Well, that mystery I think I can solve," Kim spoke up. "I'm pretty sure we have Anna Dimera to thank for that."

"Anna? But why, for heaven's sake? Why would she do something like that?"

"I think she put two and two together and wanted Renee humiliated at her own party."

"I never knew she could be so vicious!"

Kim shrugged philosophically.

"Love makes people do desperate things sometimes..." she said.

"Yes..." Shane said wistfully. "I'm a living example of that, I suppose."

"Do you really mean to tell me that playing the part of Renee's husband was such a terrible sacrifice?"

Shane's expression hardened with hurt.

"I'm sorry," Kim said quickly. "That was out of line. We're not married anymore...and you can live your life the way that..."

"No, you're right to call me a villain..." he said quietly. "Let's just say that I've had a very difficult time looking in the mirror lately. I should have handled it all differently somehow, found some other way. But I was sick with worry about all of you. And half the time, I didn't even know where the kids were or where you were. Something could have happened at any time."

"I've never known you to cave in to fear, Shane Donovan."

"I'm not a perfect man, Kim," Shane sighed. "I suppose I'm as capable of selling my soul as the next man. I have my share of faults...and I accept responsibility for my part in what's happened to Renee."

"And you mean to say she just married you...just like that?"

Shane shook his head despondently as he recalled the past.

"She had been imprisoned for so long...without any memories to cling to. She was confused and lonely...and very grateful for being rescued."

"I'm sure she was," Kim spat out, her stomach churning at the thought of all that statement implied.

"I've tried to keep up the charade as the loving husband for Renee's sake. There was no sense in putting her through more pain."

"But she's suffering now, Shane, because of all of these lies! Renee obviously loves Tony...and she feels guilt about leaving you. Guilt that she shouldn't have to feel. You should tell her the truth, Shane, and what happens happens. Obviously, I don't want any of us to get hurt. But the cat's out of the bag now anyway. The news is now officially out that she is Renee; and Stefano's plans for her, such as they were, have been foiled. We'll just have to be careful and take our chances now. We have no choice."

Shane thought long and hard before nodding.

"I suppose you're right."

"You owe her the truth, Shane."

"Yes...Oh, Kim, for heaven's sake, stop looking at me that way!"

"What way?"

"Like I'm as bad as Stefano! I'm not the only dishonest person in this room, you know."

Kim whirled around, wide-eyed.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Shane smiled a lazy smile, gentle humor in his eyes.

"I can also see through your performances. That slap wasn't because of what I did it to Renee. It's because I believe you're jealous."

"HA!" Kim snorted. "Why would I be jealous of that poor woman? And I'm so glad that you're out of my life! I'm so glad I no longer have to deal with deception and subterfuge and the damned ISA and all of the stupid..."

Kim's words were cut off as Shane swept her in his arms, passionately kissing her.

And the years melted away...and the pain melted away...and nothing mattered but feelings...


	13. Truth and Lies

**Ch. 13 – Truth and Lies**

_The next morning..._

"So that's the truth, Renee..." Shane said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Please believe that I never meant to hurt you. But I had to protect my family."

"A family I never really was intended to be a part of."

"I'm sorry."

For a few moments, there was no sound between the couple, save the incessant beeping of medical equipment.

"I hope we can be friends..." Shane added, his forehead strained with tension.

Renee resisted the urge to throw her IV tube at him.

"And I'll help you with anything that you need. Perhaps I could explain things to Tony Dimera. You seemed to be very much in love."

Renee laughed bitterly.

"Yes. We were."

"If someone were to make him understand, then perhaps."

"No...please. You've 'helped' enough. Just go..."

"Yes, of course."

Shane quietly left the hospital room, the polite gentleman to the bitter end.

Blankly, Renee stared at the TV set in her room, the volume on MUTE. Bleakly, she tried to process all that she had just heard. She had no right to be angry at Shane. After all, she had more or less given up on the marriage anyway. But once more, she had been made out to be a victim and a fool. The knowledge ate away at her.

"Knock knock..."

EJ was in the doorway of her hospital room, looking handsome as usual in an expensive suit.

"May I come in?"

Renee didn't answer, so he let himself in anyway.

"I'm rather surprised that you're still here. When will you be released?"

She shrugged sullenly.

"The nurse said any minute now...but that was about three hours ago. It's amazing how anyone survives this place. I haven't had a wink of sleep. And the food is absolute poison!"

"How about I treat you to a meal at Chez Rouge once we break you out of here?"

"Oh, I'm not hungry anyway."

"Still feeling poorly?"

"My headaches are gone," she admitted. "They should be since Dr. Carver has me zonked out of my mind on painkillers. Other than that..."

Renee stammered, unable to continue.

EJ sat beside her bed, taking her hand.

"I saw Shane Donovan left this room looking pretty upset. Does this have to do with him?"

"Partly," Renee admitted. "He just spent the last hour entertaining me with the most interesting confession. Apparently, I was just an ISA mission for him. Our whole marriage was a sham. Stefano blackmailed him into pretending to be my loving husband."

EJ was stunned.

"Another strike for Father. Every time I think that he could not possibly do anything else to shock me..."

"I feel like such a fool."

"But the marriage was over anyway, wasn't it? I mean...you never really loved him, did you?"

Renee was silent for a few moments.

"I think I did a little, at first. He was my hero who rescued me from my prison. But I always knew somehow that it was wrong. It wasn't like..."

"Like Tony?"

Renee took a deep breath, fighting back tears at the sound of his name.

"Have you seen Tony since the party?"

Renee shook her head sadly.

"He hasn't even come to see me here at the hospital."

"Tony is a proud man," EJ explained. "He's probably sulking somewhere and licking his wounds. But I know he still cares for you. I've never seen my brother in such a state. If you love him, Renee, fight for him and don't give up."

Renee laughed bitterly.

"He's probably off in the Caribbean with Anna by now."

"Not yet," EJ smiled. "But Anna will undoubtedly try to get him back, you know."

"No kidding. I don't have any proof, but somehow I just know she was responsible for everything that happened at that party."

"You could beat her at her own game, you know."

Renee shook her head.

"What's the point? Anna was always in Tony's heart. Even in the beginning when she tricked him into marriage, he was falling for her. That's why I...did such horrible things in the past, I guess. I always knew that she was a real threat."

"But you've been given a second chance with Tony."

"Not really," Renee protested. "Yes, we were really in love once, but Stefano stole that from us...along with that monster Andre. Anna had a life with Tony that I never had. But Tony and I...we don't really even know each other. Not anymore."

"I don't think you're giving my brother enough credit."

"Really?," she persisted. "Then why isn't he here? And what about me? How can I really love anyone when I don't even know what's going on with my own life? When I am cast as the victimized pawn again and again and again? I've got to take control of my own life again. I need answers. And I thought Tony could help me find those answers."

"He could again."

"No. Obviously, I was nothing to him. Just a...diversion...between his battles with Anna."

"I don't believe that. And neither do you."

"He was having a rebound 'booty call' with a freak."

"Stop it!" EJ interrupted, his tone harsh. "I won't allow you to talk this way about yourself. Remember this, if you remember nothing else. You are a Dimera by blood. And Dimeras fight...viciously, violently if we have to...but we do not give up."

"Oh, spare me the family motto!" Renee answered back snidely. "Don't start raving on about the Phoenix rising from the stupid ashes! Stefano and all of his craziness is what got me into all of this mess!"

"You can't run away from who you are."

"The hell I can't! I was better off as a poor kid in Georgia, thinking my mother was my sister! I wish I had never set foot in Salem. And most of all, I wish I had never even heard the name 'Dimera'. What has this family ever done for me but make me miserable? Tony loves ripping my heart into pieces over and over! And Stefano..."

Renee paused, her eyes flashing with smoldering anger.

"My so-called father nearly killed me with his insanity. And then he kept me prisoner, stealing my memories and my life. I would have been better off dead."

"Renee, I know you don't mean that."

At an impasse, they were silent for a while.

"Anyway, none of this matters now," Renee said, wiping away her tears. "My family doesn't matter. My past doesn't matter. Because I'm probably going to leave Salem as soon as possible. There's nothing left for me here."

"And where will you go? Back to Donovan Manor?"

"God, no!"

"Then where?" EJ persisted.

Renee paused, truly having no answer.

"You have nowhere to go," EJ continued. "You have no means to make a decent living. You have no money, no marriage..."

"Shane said he'd help me."

"Do you really want to lick the crumbs from that man's table? That doesn't sound like the woman that my father told me so many stories about."

"All right. So what do you suggest?"

"Look," EJ started. "I know that we've only known each other a short while. But I feel...I don't know, a kind of bond between us."

Renee studied her half-brother cautiously.

"You do?"

"Yes. Don't you feel it?"

"I haven't really thought about it," she confessed. "So much has happened to me since I've been here."

"I'd like to get to know you better. As you've probably gathered by now, I am not exactly the most popular man in town."

Renee nodded with a grin.

"People often look at you like you're Satan reincarnated."

"And I suppose I deserve most of their wrath. It would be nice to have a friendly face around the mansion. Someone to be an aunt to Gianni."

"Oh, you mean you want a free babysitter?"

"Of course not. No obligations of any kind like that are required."

Renee shook her head, refusing the offer.

"I can't do that. What about Tony?"

"I believe Tony has moved out."

Again, Renee's heart ached with pain.

"Where did he go?"

"I...I don't know where he is."

"Well, you're right. I have nowhere else to go and I need to figure out what to do."

"So you'll stay at the mansion?"

"Yes."

"Great! We'll get you out of here, have some real food and then take you back home."

"After lunch, I'd like to make one stop first."

"Sure. Wherever you would like to go."

"I'd like to see Stefano again."

EJ sighed despondently.

"Renee, what good will come of seeing him now? The sight of him will only upset you."

"I know you're right. But I have a few choice words I need to say to...Father."

----------------------------------

_A few hours later..._

Renee sat alone beside her father's paralyzed body.

"How does it feel to be a prisoner, Stefano?" she taunted him. "How does it feel to have your life being slowly sucked away, one useless day blending into another? Are you bored? What do you think about? Or can you think at all anymore?"

Renee wanted to hurt him the way that he had hurt her, but she knew that wasn't possible. At the very least, she wanted to see pain in those creepy dark eyes of his.

But she could swear that he almost seemed...amused. Was he laughing at her?

"I hope you can think," she continued. "I hope you are trapped in your own hell until you die. It serves you right for all of the evil things that you have done to everyone."

Renee stopped herself, glad that EJ had left to get coffee. She was ashamed of herself for talking so disrespectfully and cruelly to such a sick man...but she couldn't seem to help herself.

"If I'm cruel, it's your fault. You taught me all about cruelty. Or maybe it's just in my blood."

Hurt tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at her father.

"There's so much I don't understand. How could you torture Tony for so many years like you did? He never deserved that. And how could you use me in such a despicable way...all for the sake of your stupid vendetta with Roman Brady?"

Renee cursed herself for crying. Once the walls had come down, it seemed like her tears would never stop.

"You know, when I thought you were dead, I really grieved for you. Even after everyone in Salem knew you for the criminal that you were. Even knowing what you were, I still loved you. I thought you loved me too. You always told me that you did. Or was that just another one of your lies?"

The voice coming from behind her caused Renee to jump out of her skin.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance...Fraulein."

She whirled around to see a man before her in a doctor's uniform. He was an older balding man with a gray beard and dark eyebrows. His accent was distinctly German.

"Who are you?"

"According to my name tag, I am Dr. Wilhelm Strauss Meyer. But you may recognize my real name of...Rolf."

Renee covered her mouth with both hands, fighting back a scream.

"By the expression on your face, I take it you have heard of me, ja?"

"Enough to know that you should be in jail right now. You'd better get out of here before I scream."

"I should consider my options very carefully before committing such an impulsive action, Miss Dimera. For I am the only link you have to finding out the secrets of your past."

Shocked, Renee remained silent.

"I think we could come to a mutual arrangement, ja? Meet me at the Salem Pier at seven o'clock tonight. Tell no one you saw me."

As quickly as he appeared, Dr. Rolf disappeared.

----------------------------

"Renee, are you certain you are all right?" EJ asked, obviously concerned as they drove to the mansion. "You're as white as a ghost. And so quiet. Do you have another headache?"

Trying to concentrate on staying in the present, Renee forced a smile.

"No headache. I'm okay."

"Seeing Stefano upset you. I knew it would."

"It wasn't so bad."

Renee fought to keep a tight rein on her words and emotions. She wanted to confide in EJ, to tell him all about her meeting with Dr. Rolf...but she didn't dare breathe a word.

"Do you mind if I drop you off here at the house? I need to check on Samantha and the twins."

"Of course not."

As Renee entered the mansion and turned to go up the staircase, her mind was reeling with the knowledge that she might finally find out what had happened to her. Did Rolf really know about her past? Or was she being set up for some new sadistic trap?

With her scrambling mind, she wasn't even aware of her surroundings. And she ran right into Tony!

Colliding into each other, Tony's hard form knocked the wind out of her. Luckily, he grabbed her before she completely lost her balance and went tumbling down the stairs. After steadying herself, Renee became mercilessly aware of his physical presence. Despite how mad and hurt she was, she couldn't stop wanting him near her.

When Renee nervously peered into Tony's eyes, she recognized his own hot look of passion. She had remembered that look so many times when they were right on the brink of making love.

There was a warmth between them, a magnetic attraction that couldn't be destroyed in one night.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she nodded. "You startled me. I didn't think anyone was here. EJ said you had moved out."

"Yes..." he began awkwardly. "Well, I just needed to return to collect a few more of my things."

"Oh. Where are you going to stay?"

"The Salem Inn."

Right where Anna was staying, Renee thought bitterly. That blonde parasite was not wasting a single second of time, was she?

"I see."

"And what about you, Mrs. Donovan? Are you going back to Donovan Manor with your husband?"

"No. Actually, Shane and I are getting a divorce."

Renee studied his expression, hoping that the admission would make a difference. But Tony's face was completely unreadable.

"I see. Well, after the way you ran off, I can't say I blame Donovan for not..."

"How like you to assume that this is my fault!"

"Well, isn't it?"

"Look..." Renee spat out with venom, her rage boiling over. "You don't know everything, Tony! In fact, you don't even know what the hell is going on, so why don't you...?"

"I don't want to hear any more lies," he said calmly, turning to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me."

Reaching for his sleeve, Renee stopped him.

"If you think you can just insult me and walk away from me, you have another thing coming!"

"Watch me, my dear."

"You can be such a pig-headed bully!"

"Well, if you'll allow said bully to leave the house..."

"Do you think you're the only one who's been lied to?" she stormed. "I was raised on lies! Lee, Stefano, Daphne...one lie after another!"

Tony sighed with exasperation, shrugging off her hold on him.

"You don't have to go over our whole sordid past together. I remember it well."

"Even my marriage to Shane was a lie!"

"Oh, it was?" Tony countered, obviously skeptical.

"Yes, Stefano blackmailed Shane into marrying me."

"That is the most implausible story you've come up with yet," he snarled. "Why on earth would Stefano do such a thing?"

"I don't know. Why did he do any of the crazy things he did? That's just one more mystery to solve. Look, you can talk to Shane if you don't believe me! He came to me this morning at the hospital and told me all about it."

Tony remained silent.

"I know I should have told you about Shane from the very beginning."

"Yes, you should have."

"But I wasn't very proud about what I had done. I more or less abandoned him in England once I started to realize who I was. Our marriage just wasn't working out. And now I know why. He still loved Kimberly....and I still loved you."

Tony shook his head, refusing to hear anymore.

"We're bad for each other, Renee. Perhaps we're too much alike...too much like Stefano."

"You aren't Stefano's biological son; and I fell for you before I even knew that he was my father, remember?"

"Of course, I remember..." he said sadly.

"I was just a backwards hayseed from Georgia. And then I met a suave gentleman with a foreign accent who lavished me with presents...and taught me so much. Remember?"

"Renee, don't."

"That man taught me how to love. Not once, but twice in the same lifetime. And I do love you, Tony. I never stopped, even when I didn't know who I was. Your face was the only thing I could remember when everything else was blankness. Please...take me back. I know I screwed up, but please give me another chance."

"Renee..."

Before he could refuse her, Renee pulled him close, kissing him hungrily on the mouth.. He responded back passionately, catching her by surprise. She knew he was still angry with her, but she didn't care. Perversely, she was even excited by it. He could be a rough brute with her tonight and she wouldn't care...as long as he was back in her arms and in her bed.

"Make love to me, Tony. I want you so much."

"And you know I want you," he said huskily. "I could take you right now on the living room floor..."

"Then do it!" Renee urged mischievously.

"But don't you see?" Tony stopped and pulled away, grabbing her by the chin and looking in her eyes. "I'd just be using you...because I still can't trust you. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again."

The rejection, combined with frustrated desire, sent Renee over the edge.

"You mean you've decided not to trust me," she snapped back viciously. "You've decided not to forgive me!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Anna's staying at the Salem Inn too. Isn't she?"

His silence was brutal.

"I have my answer," she said sadly.

"I think I'd better go," Tony replied coldly. "Before I say something we'll both regret."

As Renee watched Tony storm off to his sports car, she felt absolutely murderous. And more than ever, she was aware of the dangerous Dimera blood running through her veins.


	14. Legacy of the Phoenix

**Ch. 14 – Legacy of the Phoenix**

Shivering in the cold, Renee squinted her eyes, trying to spot a discernible shape in the fog along the pier. She sighed with frustration, hating to wait alone in such an isolated place. To be honest, she was in no mood to even pursue the mysteries of her past after her horrible confrontation with Tony. She wished that she could compartmentalize her life so that she could focus on the present. After all, her world did not revolve around Tony Dimera, did it?

"Miss Dimera?"

Renee almost screamed, whirling around to face Dr. Rolf, looking very mysterious and dangerous in a trench coat. He had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Look, I really wish you'd stop creeping up on me this way!" she swore. "It's so annoying!"

"So sorry, Fraulein. But you understand I must be discreet. We shall talk in my car, ja?"

"HA!" Renee snorted. "If you think I'm going into any car with you, you're crazy."

Studying the freak before her, she shook her head.

"On second thought, scratch that, Dr. Mengele. It's obvious that you're nuts anyway."

"Do you really think all of these insults is an effective way for us to spend our time together, Miss Dimera?" Rolf asked, raising a dark eyebrow. "What I have to say is of the utmost importance and must be absolutely secret. You never know who may be listening on these piers."

"Fine," Renee sighed with exasperation. "But if anything happens to me, EJ will come after you."

"Ah, the wrath of young Elvis. I am trembling...in my boots...as they say?"

"Whatever."

Allowing Rolf to escort her to a nondescript black sedan, Renee nervously peered about, praying that she was going to get through this night in one piece.

"I believe we are in a position where we can help each other, Miss Dimera."

"Please enlighten me."

"I can give you the answers that you want...the answers that you have been seeking for some time, ja? And in return, I have a favor I would ask of you."

"What sort of a favor?" she asked suspiciously.

"First, I must caution you...if word gets out of what I am about to tell you, I shall not hesitate to employ whatever means necessary to keep you silent."

"Don't threaten me, Rolf!" Renee sneered. "I have a feeling that you need me a lot more than I need you. So spare me the melodramatics!"

"I see you've inherited your father's temper and courage," Rolf laughed good-naturedly. "Very good. You will need all the courage you can muster to accomplish what we must do."

"What are you talking about, Rolf? Just spit it out..."

"Very well. I need your help. Your father needs your help."

"Stefano?"

Rolf nodded.

"I have reason to believe that his coma is not one of...natural means."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember, Miss Dimera, I am not only a scientist, but a doctor," Rolf explained. " I was Stefano's physician for many years. While he was far from healthy, he had no pre-existing condition which would result in this type of coma."

"EJ told me that he had a stroke...which caused his coma."

Rolf shook his head in the negative.

"I have seen stroke patients in a comatose state. This is not the same thing."

"So what are you saying?"

"My theory is that this coma was brought about through nefarious measures, possibly induced by a combination of drugs. So, in essence, he has poisoned into a paralyzed state."

"Who would do such a thing?"

Rolf shrugged.

"In Salem? Any number of people could be responsible for such an act. Stefano has a great deal of enemies, including members of his own family. I am rather shocked that Dr. Lexie Carver has completely turned a blind eye to what is really going on with her own father. But that is not important at the moment. What is important is to save Stefano."

"And how are we going to do that?" Renee asked, fascinated.

"I have an antidote I have concocted that may counteract the drugs in his system. But in order to do this, I must have Stefano in my private laboratory where I can work unhampered."

"I take it that this antidote isn't entirely legal."

"I will be honest with you, Miss Dimera. The treatment is completely illegal and very experimental...and based on guesswork mainly. I have only used it with lab rats so far."

"Are you out of your mind?" Renee hissed. "You could kill him! I am not going to help you use my father as a guinea pig for one of your looney tunes experiments!"

"I have worked for Stefano for a good many years," Rolf said. "And I flatter myself to think that I know how he thinks. I am virtually certain that he would rather die at my hand in an attempt to live rather than continue on this way. Even if the antidote failed, it would be a mercy killing. In his state now, he is being tortured."

Renee was silent, considering Rolf's words. She knew in her heart that he was right.

"We must do this," he insisted. "We are Stefano's only chance. Do you see anyone else in Salem willing to lift a finger to help him?"

"OK, Dr. Frankenstein, how can I possibly help you with this?" Renee asked skeptically. "I'm no scientist."

"All I need is for you to help me get him out of the hospital and to my laboratory. I shall do the rest."

"Oh, that's all?" Renee sneered. "No problem."

"There are employees of Stefano, loyal employees, that would be all too willing to help us with this. I just need you to be their contact person and to coordinate the escape. You see, the police are looking out for me every day. It is too dangerous for me to contact them without being discovered. But you could easily help me with my plan."

Renee was silent for a few moments.

"So what do you say, Miss Dimera?"

"Why should I lift a finger to save Stefano after everything that he put me through?"

"Renee, you must know that Stefano always loved you."

"Oh, really?" Renee scoffed. "Then why did Stefano get me mixed up with that psychopathic Andre? He let me nearly get stabbed to death! He didn't love me. He loved the money that I inherited from him after he faked one of his many deaths. That's why he went to so much trouble to get that money back!"

"You have no idea of the lengths your father went to in order to save your life after that attack."

"Oh, right! Is that what he told you?"

"I know this for a fact because I was there, Miss Dimera."

For a moment, Renee was completely speechless and in shock.

"How do you suppose Stefano has escaped death so many times?" Rolf asked, a smug smile on his face. "How do you suppose you survived death at Andre's hand?"

Breathlessly, she waited for him to continue.

"I met your father roughly around 1980. He was interested in becoming my sponsor and associate because he was fascinated with a serum I had created. A life serum."

"A life serum?" Renee repeated dumbly, feeling as if she were in a really bad science fiction movie.

"For some time, I had tried to have my serum recognized. But the government, various medical associations...all rejected my invention based on ridiculous religious beliefs, safety concerns, et cetera. Your father was the only one who believed in me. And that was the beginning of our partnership. However, neither of us expected to have to use the serum so quickly before it had been perfected. You see, you were the first person ever to be injected with my serum. And that is how you survived."

Renee's mind was spinning.

"I was injected with this...life serum stuff...after the stabbing?"

"Correct," Rolf affirmed. "Stefano always had his doubts that Andre would effectively pull off an impersonation of Tony. Andre was not, as we say, the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. He was too brash, too impulsive, too egotistical and hungry for power. But he also had a talent and love for violence. This made him a bit of a wild card. Stefano watched him very closely right from the beginning. If all had gone according to plan, if Roman Brady had indeed been successfully framed for the Salem Slasher killings, then Andre eventually would have been silenced. Permanently."

"Obviously, someone messed up all the plans."

"Yes, indeed. That would be you, Miss Dimera."

"Me?!"

"Think back," Rolf urged. "Think back to the night of your 'murder'. You were married to Alex Marshall. Tony was blaming you for the death of his child. Who would have guessed that you and Tony would have reunited that night after all that had happened? Even Stefano could not have predicted that!"

"So?"

"So Alex Marshall, Roman Brady, Tony and Andre were all supposed to have been destroyed in one grand operatic gesture, as far as Stefano was concerned," Rolf explained. "You were never meant to be in harm's way. In fact, Stefano had plans to spirit you away to reunite with him in Italy once the coast was clear. But..." Rolf paused with a bittersweet smile on his lips. "Love sometimes leads us down unexpected paths..."

So if she had not made up with Tony that night, everything would have turned out so differently, Renee mused. Would she have been better off?

"Things definitely had taken an unexpected turn," Rolf continued to explain. "That is why Andre went into such a stupid panic. But Stefano had taken precautions. Your room had been bugged with a hidden camera installed. We saw everything."

If Rolf had not talking about Stefano, Renee would not have believed such an implausible tale. But as she had heard so many times, with Stefano, anything was possible!

"Stefano and I had to act quickly. I was forced to terminate a woman of your height and build...some poor soul I found wandering around on the streets. I hated to be party to such a crime, but time was of the essence. Fortunately, Stefano already had a latex mask and wig designed in your likeness."

"Of me?" Renee started. "Why?"

"You were his heiress and beloved daughter, my dear. He wanted to insure your protection at all costs. He spoke to me of how your life had been threatened by the Salem Strangler, Jake Kositchek. You seemed to have a propensity of getting into dangerous situations. Thus, he had a mask made up of you."

"But wasn't that a bit...over the top?"

"Remember the entire Salem Slasher plot hinged on the use of latex masks. Stefano was quite obsessed with them at the time. Over the top as you say? Ja. But that is Stefano."

"So you switched my body with this other woman?"

"Yes, and every moment counted. You were very close to dead. Fortunately, we had a very valuable person in our corner who helped us pull off the switch."

"Who?"

"Who first discovered 'Renee's body', Fraulein?"

"Roman Brady?"

"That is where you are mistaken. Roman reacted to a maid's scream. A maid who worked for the Dimeras. And that maid was..."

"Delia," Renee nodded, the puzzle pieces all fitting together. "Delia Abernathy...who was part of the Salem Slasher plot and worked for Stefano all along. She knew all about Tony and Andre."

"And she knew about you."

"But what about the autopsy and the police and...?"

"A great amount of bribery and blackmail took place in order to insure that all necessary officials would not talk. Everything went off without a hitch, except..."

"Except what?"

"The life serum was only in its baby stages. There were still a lot of glitches. You suffered...and continue to suffer...a few unfortunate side effects."

"What side effects?" Renee asked bleakly, although she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Memory loss."

Renee's heart began to race.

"And frequent migraines..."

"All because of that damned life serum?"

Rolf was genuinely offended.

"A little gratitude, please, Miss Dimera! If it weren't for my serum, you would not be here today!"

"So I don't understand..." Renee responded, shaking her head in confusion. "If Father wanted me to live so badly, why did he keep me prisoner?"

"You had lost all of your memories. Stefano could not allow you to walk around in such a state. You were a danger to yourself."

"And to him and his damned empire!"

"That too, ja. But there were also extenuating circumstances that forced Stefano to keep close watch over you."

"What kind of extenuating circumstances?"

"I don't feel it is right for me to say, Miss Dimera."

Renee sighed with exasperation.

"You've gone this far, Rolf! Now spill it!"

Rolf hesitated, seeming desperately unsure.

"If you don't tell me, the deal's off."

"Oh, very well," Rolf gave in. "Stefano was protecting you...and his legacy."

"His legacy?" Renee repeated. "I don't follow. What are you talking about?"

"While we were nursing you back to health, we found out something very important..."

"Found out what?"

"You were pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

Renee's world reeled off its axis.

"How is that possible?" she asked, excitedly. "I'd know! Memory loss or not, I'd know that, damn it!"

"You suffered severe amnesia, particularly acute during that first year. You did not know who you were or even seemed even aware of your pregnancy. Stefano was very concerned about you and the welfare of the baby."

"I was pregnant..." Renee repeated in shock. "It must have been that night at the party. That night with Tony."

"Correct."

"I was pregnant...with Tony's baby?!"

Renee covered her mouth with both hands, holding back a scream. Or was it a sob? She didn't even know.

"Was it a boy or a girl? Did it live?"

"Even I do not know the details about that, Miss Dimera," Rolf insisted. "After the procedure with the life serum, you were placed in Stefano's care. Only he knows the fate of what happened with that child."

"My God!"

"So you see, Renee...if you want to find out the truth, you have no choice. You must help me save Stefano. He is the only one who knows."

Renee shivered.

Could she do it?

In order to find out about her child...about the child she never knew she had...from so long ago, would she bring the sleeping monster of Stefano Dimera back to life?


	15. Playing the Game

**Ch. 15 – Playing the Game**

_The same evening..._

"You have some nerve coming here, Tony Dimera!"

Anna viciously spat the words out at her ex-husband, pulling the edges of her pink silk robe together as she nervously wondering if her pulled-back hair was in place.

"Oh, really?" Tony countered, glaring at her from outside of her hotel room at the Salem Inn. "Well, you had a hell of a lot of nerve sabotaging my engagement party!"

"Excuse me?!" Anna cried out, stomping her foot. "I didn't sabotage anything! Your dear little Re-nay did that all on her own...as I recall. I warned you she would be trouble."

"And you made sure that her humiliation...and mine...was as brutally public as possible!" he accused, pointing a finger at her.

Anna opened her mouth to protest, but then decided against it. Why bother denying it?

"Well, you had it coming! It serves you right for being such a pig!"

"Oh, we're stooping to name calling now, are we?" Tony retorted. "Well, I have a few names I could easily throw in your direction, my dear...starting with 'cold-hearted...'"

At the sound of the nasty word, Anna tried to slam the door in his face, but he stopped the door with his foot.

"OH, HOW DARE YOU!!! Just go away!"

Glaring at her with that quiet seething angry expression that was all too familiar to Anna, Tony stalked towards her, looking like a wild jungle beast ready to come in for the kill. That look had always scared and excited her at the same time. Tonight was no exception.

"Don't you come near me, Tony Dimera!" Nervously, Anna backed away from him, trying to control her trembling knees. "If you don't get out of my room right now, I'm going to call security!"

She groped for the phone on the nearby coffee table, but he swept it onto the floor before she could get a firm hold on the receiver.

"You won't have time to call for help, you little brat!"

Quickly, viciously, he grabbed hold of her arms tightly, his anger palpable.

The strength of his large hands burned through the silk of her robe. Naughty memories invaded her mind...memories of how they used to be so many years ago...when those hands would tear away at her clothes until she would be naked and at his mercy. The more she tried not to think of those forbidden nights, the more she seemed to remember.

"Let go of me, you beast!!!" she panted, feeling her heart race with excitement.

"You were very bad...to ruin my party..."

Tony wanted her too. She could hear it in his voice.

How little effort it would take to fall into a hot clinch right then and there...to give in to all of the anger and sexual tension and passion until they couldn't even remember what the fight was about. Yet, with an inner strength that she didn't realize she had, Anna pushed him away, turning her back to him.

"Stop this, Tony," she said quietly. "Just...stop."

He looked as if she had just thrown cold water into his face.

For a moment, there was silence between them.

"Stop what?"

"You know very well what..." Anna answered with an amused smile as she took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together.

"I have no idea what you're babbling about."

"I think you do. We're just falling right back into our old patterns, aren't we?"

Straightening his tie, Tony shuffled about nervously. She was amused to see the passionate beast of a few seconds ago metamorphose into a rather disheveled gentleman.

"What do you mean?"

"Tony, we've done this song-and-dance over and over. You are mad at me. I am mad at you. We call each other names. Usually, I slap you or throw something at you. And then..."

Her eyes darkened with forbidden fantasies.

"Well...you do unspeakable things to me...and before you know it, we're in bed, making up and making out and pretending like nothing ever happened in the first place."

Tony reflected quietly for a few moments before breaking out into a boyish grin, chuckling softly.

"I suppose that is rather the status quo for us, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Anna nodded, relieved to see him smiling again. "But our problems are a little too complex these days, aren't they?"

"Yes, I suppose they are."

"Maybe we should just talk."

"Just talk," Tony repeated. "Do you really think we can?"

"We can give it a try." Anna shrugged, gesturing towards the sofa in the corner of the room. "Why don't we sit down and just talk for a while?"

Tony nodded, pulling off his jacket, visibly relaxing.

Sitting next to each other, Anna was still very aware of how much she wanted Tony. No matter what mood he was in...she had always constantly craved his touch. It had always been that way for her.

"I don't know any easy way to say this..." he started. "I've been a damned fool!"

"No, Tony..." Anna protested, but then thought better. "Well, maybe in some ways but..."

"I tried to turn back the clock to 1983!" he insisted. "What sort of idiot does that? I am not that same man anymore. You're not the same. And Renee...well, obviously she is not the same woman..."

"Well, actually..." Anna began tentatively. "Maybe she is. She always had a manipulative and devious side to her, Tony. Remember how many people were suspects in her murder? She was learning to become like her father. I think your feelings for her blinded you to that side of her."

"I can't believe that!" Tony protested, shaking his head.

"Tony, face it. You have no idea where she's been all of these years. She lied to you about being married to Shane. Who knows what all else she has lied about? And you have to admit, her story is pretty incredible...with her convenient amnesia and such."

"I know you never liked her."

"Okay, let's put my feelings about Renee aside. I'm thinking about you, Tony. As long as I've known you, you've tried to separate yourself from Stefano and everything that he stood for. So why would you marry his daughter – who is more like him than you care to admit? Don't you think that's a step in the wrong direction?"

"I don't know..." Tony admitted. "I'm just so...torn apart..."

Anna flinched at his honesty.

"Who would have dreamed she'd ever still be alive?" Tony asked. "I really loved her once."

"I know," Anna acknowledged bitterly.

"But...that was the past. I have to face that. And you are my present."

"Really?"

Tony nodded.

"After everything you said to me..."

"I was angry," Tony admitted. "I didn't mean half of what I said. You know what a temper I can have. And you always know what buttons to push to turn me into an insufferable cad."

"Lucky me!" Anna joked. "Are you sure you're not just saying this so you can have your way with me?"

"I think you know me better than that."

"Yes, I do. I've been a fool too."

"You?" Tony asked.

Anna nodded.

"I was so silly, getting that job at the Lumberg Ad agency," she admitted. "What the hell do I know about advertising or business anyway?"

"Don't sell yourself short, Anna. You were a very good businesswoman with Anna Dimera Designs."

"With you and Eugene and Calliope all helping me," she countered, shaking her head. "I suppose I'm not very good with being honest with myself. The truth is...I always used men to survive, one way or another. For a short time with you, I was becoming a person I could admire and respect. But when you went away..."

Anna's eyes clouded with tears at the memory.

"Well, I guess I more or less went back to my old ways. Even before I found you again, what was I doing? Having a fling with Roman, for heaven's sake! What was I thinking?"

Tony sighed with remorse.

"So much would have been different for us if we could have been married and happy...if Stefano would have just left us alone. It always seems to come back to him, doesn't it?"

"Yes. But I am glad of one thing."

"What's that?"

"That you're not the man that I thought you were."

Tony looked confused.

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Tony, when we divorced...when I thought you had left me...!" Anna cried out. "I was so miserable..."

Compassionately, Tony touched her cheek.

"But, dear Anna, you know that wasn't me. Stefano did all that..."

"Yes, I know that now but..." Anna shook her head. "You just can't imagine what it was like, Tony. It took me so long to learn to live without you. For a while, I thought that I had managed to get you out of my mind and heart. I was able to wake up and get through a whole day without thinking about you..."

"My poor darling..."

"And then I started hearing all the stories. I couldn't believe it when I thought you had married Kristen Blake, for heaven's sake! She was so utterly not your type and..."

Tony laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"The jealous tone in your voice," he acknowledged. "It's flattering...even though this is all about Andre. My God, I only remember Kristen as a little orphan with braids in her hair."

"But it wasn't just that. After the stories about Aremid and the Salem Stalker plot, well...it seemed as if the man I had married never existed, as if Stefano had taken over you completely. I wondered how I could have ever loved you at all...if those years together were just some fantasy that never really happened."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said sadly.

"And when I found out that was Andre all along... when I found you on that island...I was so glad that you were still the man I remembered. The man that I loved."

"Oh, Anna, I'll never forget that day," Tony countered. "I thought you were just some beautiful dream. And when I held you close and kissed you, when I knew you were real..."

Unable to continue, he simply shook his head.

"There are no words."

"Once we found each other on that island, I swore I would never lose you again. I just never realized it would be so hard for me to trust again. I guess, somewhere in all of those lonely years, I became so cynical that I couldn't really believe anymore. I couldn't believe in us...or myself."

"One more thing to thank Stefano and Andre for," Tony said, a hard bitter edge to his voice.

"If only I could turn back the clock..." Anna admitted. "After we came back from our trip, I handled things so badly."

"No," Tony insisted. "I was taking you for granted; and I had no right to do that."

"But I had no right to pressure you into a commitment, Tony. I should have known that after being trapped on that island for so long that you weren't ready for that kind of a change. But..."

"Go on."

"Well, that's why it hurt so badly when I saw you propose to Renee. Why did you want to marry her but not me?"

Tony flinched, obviously tortured by her question.

"I suppose you had it all figured out that day...when you said I wanted an obedient wife who couldn't think for herself. Stefano always raised me to think that way; and I suppose I was falling back into that pattern. After all, I didn't really know her, did I? I was trying to see her as the woman I wanted her to be. And we both know that Renee was no longer like that in the end. I was incredibly stupid..."

"It seems we're both guilty of making some pretty foolish mistakes," Anna admitted.

"If only we'd been honest like this before..." Tony sighed. "If we'd talked honestly like this before. Perhaps we should have spent a little less time gallivanting around Capri and spent a little more time at home just talking."

"Hey, let's not get carried away!" Anna protested.

Tony laughed, putting an arm around her, holding her close.

"Oh, Anna, I do love you."

"So do I, Tony. I never stopped."

Taking a deep breath, Anna allowed herself to relax in his arms.

"I suppose self-reflection doesn't really suit either one of us," she mused. "We were always too busy traveling the world, running companies, fighting and making up, having three-day lovemaking marathons..."

"Those were the glory days..." he smiled indulgently.

"It's not too late for us, Tony. At least, it doesn't have to be."

"Do you really think we could try again?"

"I don't see why not."

"Can you forgive me?"

Anna nodded.

"I'd forgive you anything, Tony. You know that."

Placing his hands on her cheeks, Tony peered deeply into her eyes.

"Come here..." he murmured.

Once more, Anna felt lost in his kiss. When they were like this, everything felt so right. She would never lose him again. Never. Even if she had to fight every Dimera on the planet...

"So can we start doing...unspeakable things again?" he whispered as he placed a hand upon her bare knee.

"Tony Dimera, you beast!" Anna giggled, sinking further down upon the couch. "I knew we wouldn't 'just talk' for long..."

-------------------------------------

_The next morning..._

Renee sat morosely over a hot cup of coffee and a fruit salad at the Brady Pub. For the billionth time, she thought about whether or not she should help Dr. Rolf with his quest to save Stefano. And as usual, she couldn't seem to come up with an answer that she could live with.

"Would you like more coffee?" Caroline Brady asked, doing her best to act professional even though she could not hide the suspicion in her eyes as she looked at Renee.

"No, thank you, Caroline."

Renee cursed herself as an idiot for even coming to the Brady Pub. All of the Bradys hated all of the Dimeras. It was practically a law in Salem! And after that horrible party, everyone knew who she was. The fiasco had even made it into the gossip column of _The Salem Spectator_.

At the sight of a familiar face, her mood lifted momentarily.

"Marlena?" Renee called out, beckoning for the lovely blonde in the red suit to join her.

Gripping her handbag tightly, Marlena neared her table with a grim smile.

"Renee..." she said, a touch of coldness in her voice.

"I'm so glad to see you again..." Renee admitted.

"Really?"

"Yes," she answered, feeling a little uneasy at Marlena's frostiness. She did not remember her former friend and psychiatrist being so hardened and unapproachable. "I was hoping that perhaps I could become a patient of yours again. I've read that you've made some remarkable breakthroughs with some of your patients who were amnesia victims. I was hoping that maybe you could help me."

Still standing, Marlena shook her head.

"It's kind of you to think of me, Renee, but I really must refuse."

"Refuse?" Renee repeated in shock. She had never dreamed that Marlena would act this way towards her.

"Too much has happened over the years between our families. I just don't think that I would be able to handle your case...objectively."

"Oh...well, okay. I understand, I guess..."

"Call my office and I could give you some very good referrals, all right?"

"Yes."

As if the devil were at her heels, Marlena rushed across the restaurant and out of the pub, glaring at EJ as they nearly collided in the doorway.

Looking nonplussed, EJ came over to join her.

"Marlena looks a little more uptight than usual..." he laughed. "I wonder what's wrong with her now."

Renee shook her head sadly.

"I think I upset her."

"You? How could you possibly?"

"I asked if she would be my doctor again, help me with my memory. She had been so nice to me at the party...before all hell broke loose."

EJ shook his head bitterly.

"I've told you that you're not ready to go out in public yet, Renee. Everyone in this town has a serious prejudice against all of the Dimeras. I am trying so hard not to say 'I told you so'..."

"And I am trying so hard not to throw my coffee in your smirking British face!" Renee snarled.

"Easy there, wildcat!" EJ roared. "Good Lord, what a mood you're in!"

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Renee sighed. "It's just upsetting. I remember Marlena as being so nonjudgmental and friendly. She was like a sister to me. And now, she looks at me like..."

"Like you are Stefano?"

Renee nodded sadly.

"A lot has happened since you've been away, Renee. Even I don't know all of the sordid history between Father and Marlena. I only know what he's chosen to tell me...and even that information is unreliable. But he's tortured her in so many ways for so many years. I suppose she feels that she can't afford to let her guard down anymore where any member of our family is concerned."

Just when Renee thought she couldn't get any more depressed, she saw Tony and Anna enter the Brady Pub, both of them grinning from ear to ear. They seemed relaxed and happy together...like how they must have been when they were married.

For a few sickening moments, the couple noticed her.

Tony's eyes met with hers briefly before he quickly looked away, obviously uncomfortable and embarrassed.

And as for Anna...well, she looked for all the world like the proverbial cat with the canary. She had won the game and she knew it!

Renee felt hot with suppressed rage.

EJ turned to look at them.

"Oh, dear, should we go somewhere else?" he asked, genuinely concerned for her.

She shook her head.

"I can't spend all of my life running. In fact, maybe it's time I started facing my problems head on."

"What are you talking about?"

Renee was startled out of her thoughts for a moment, looking at EJ.

"I refuse to be a victim any longer."

"I don't know what you're referring to," he said. "But it's nice to hear you say that. Anyway, I must run. The twins, you know..."

"Of course."

As soon as EJ left, Renee pulled out her new cell phone and called the memorized number.

"Fraulein?"

She shivered at the sound of Dr. Rolf's voice.

"OK," she replied simply. "I'll do it. I'll help you."


	16. Rising from the Ashes

**Ch. 16 – Rising from the Ashes**

Dr. Rolf's plan went off without a hitch.

Stefano was hidden away in a warehouse along the waterfront. Renee shivered as she paced about the dank place, pulling her coat closer about her. How many men had been killed and tortured by Stefano in a place such as this? And here she was, bringing the monster back to life, willing him to survive Rolf's antidote treatments, ready to do anything to find the answers to her past and about the baby that Rolf had spoken of. Tony's child. Her child.

"Any progress?" she asked anxiously as Rolf left the dark corner where Stefano's makeshift hospital bed had been set up.

"Nein..." Rolf sighed in frustration. "Every time I think that we're getting closer, he seems to backslide into his coma. Whoever did this to him definitely knew what he was doing."

"Rolf, we have to make some kind of a breakthrough!" Renee called out. "The police are going nuts looking for Stefano since we got him out of the hospital. And it's only going to be a matter of time until..."

"Fraulein, we must not panic. You can't rush science."

"Great..." Renee pouted, stamping her foot like a child. "If I'd known you would be such an idiot, I never would have gotten mixed up with you at all!"

"Ah..." Rolf sighed sentimentally. "You remind me of your father when you talk that way. That same cruelty and hot passion..."

"Oh, shut up!"

Renee sank down onto a hard rickety plastic chair, depressed and angry. And of course, it was more than just about their failure to revitalize Stefano.

Try as she might, Renee could not get Tony out of her mind. She should have been off on her honeymoon instead of spending all night in this hellish place. And she knew that she had lost Tony to Anna for good. She had heard the rumors. And she had seen them together at the Brady Pub, obviously deeply in love. The sight had ripped her heart out. She told herself that she didn't need him. That he was an insensitive clod who expected far too much from her and far too little from his materialistic hussy of a girlfriend.

But that didn't stop her from missing him.

All the time...

"Ooohhhh...."

Rolf and Renee quickly looked at each other with wide eyes before they realized what had happened.

"Stefano!" Renee cried out as they both hurried to his side, careful not to accidentally step on any of the endless wiring and tubes all fixed to his body.

"Stefano..." Dr. Rolf urged, slapping his boss on the cheeks. "Stay with us, ja? Can you hear me, Stefano? Mr. Dimera?" Eagerly, the doctor began to shake Stefano firmly, pulling him back to life.

"Rolf...you IDIOT!" Stefano cursed hoarsely.

"Oh, Stefano..." Rolf clutched at his heart, his eyes tearing up. "You're back!! It's so good to see you in your usual fine spirits, ja?"

"I was always well..." Stefano growled maliciously, clawing his way to full consciousness. "It was that evil woman who did this to me."

"What evil woman?"

At the sound of Renee's voice, Stefano turned to face his daughter, his eyes welling up with emotion.

"Renee..." he sighed deeply. "I still can't believe it is you. If only I could reach out to hug you and kiss you, my sweet daughter. I never dreamed I would see this day. Rolf, you fool, why can't I move?"

Dr. Rolf shrugged with a smile.

"You have just come out of a coma, Stefano. Give your body time to adjust. One miracle per day is enough, ja?"

"I couldn't believe it when I saw you at the hospital," Stefano continued saying to Renee, with what appeared to be love in his eyes. "I wanted so much to talk to you. You have your memory back. How wonderful for you! When did that happen? And how?"

Renee was taken aback by Stefano's emotion. She hadn't expected him to care so much...or at least to pretend like he cared so much. For so long, she had held on to the bitter knowledge of how Stefano had so cruelly used her to implant Andre into Salem, with little regard to the danger she had been exposed to. And now, for him to act as though he were still a loving father...

With an effort, Renee pulled herself together. She had loved and trusted him once; and paid for that affection with years of her life that were lost. She would never make that mistake again.

"Renee?" Stefano prodded. "Please tell me. How did you get your memory back?"

"Tony helped me."

"Tony!" Stefano sneered, his tone growing harsh. "That's another thing, Rolf! Did you know that he and Alexandra and Elvis were all going to just let me rot here?! You should have heard the terrible things they said about me. And they shall all pay dearly for their betrayal, you may count on that." With that threat, Stefano then turned his attention back to Renee. "If it were not for you, my daughter, I'd still be stuck in that hospital as a living corpse! I will never forget how much I owe you."

Again, Renee felt uncomfortable with such talk. All she wanted was information, not gratitude.

"Well, Rolf did more than I did. You should be thanking him."

"Oh, Rolf...yes, of course..."

"No thanks is necessary..." Rolf shrugged modestly. "My reward is seeing you well again, Stefano. And having a steady paycheck again would suffice, ja?"

"Of course," Stefano agreed. "I will need you in my employ again right away in order to get my revenge against Marlena Black!"

"MARLENA!!!" Renee and Dr. Rolf both cried out simultaneously.

"Yes, she is responsible for the living hell I've been through for months! She poisoned me and left me there, paralyzed. She didn't have the decency to kill me! She was just going to let me go on that way forever."

Renee found that knowledge difficult to believe. And she suspected that Rolf was also having trouble believing what Stefano had said. Her memories of Marlena were very fleeting and hard to pin down; but she just didn't think that the woman she knew was capable of such treachery, despite her history with Stefano.

"Regardless..." Rolf said, clearing his throat. "We have no time for revenge right now, Stefano. We must get you safely away where we will be safe from all of your enemies, ja? And this warehouse is not very sanitary."

"Why not just take me back to the mansion?" Stefano asked. "It's my home, after all."

"Father..." Renee said, the word sticking strangely on her tongue. "We just kidnapped you from a hospital and did illegal experiments on you to revive you out of that coma. We can't just take you back to the mansion."

"Why not?' Stefano insisted. "After all, I'm the injured party. Why should I be in hiding?"

"But what about us?" Renee retorted, feeling her familiar angst surge up. "We've committed felonies to get you out of that hospital. We'll end up in jail; or do you care?"

Stefano laughed jovially as he looked fondly upon her.

"Ah, my little innocent, I have lawyers who will easily take care of that. You would never even step foot in a courtroom, much less a jail."

Renee could not allow Stefano to go back to the mansion. She was not so much worried about being arrested as undoubtedly Stefano was right about the lawyers. But she couldn't face the wrath of Tony and EJ if they knew that she had been involved with Stefano's recovery. And if he were moved back to the mansion, she didn't know how she would be able to keep his presence there and her involvement a secret, especially while EJ was still living there.

"But, Father..." Renee said, grasping for some argument to change his mind. "Won't you be able to exact your plans of revenge more easily if your whereabouts are unknown? You do want to make Marlena pay, right?"

Stefano raised an eyebrow in contemplation.

"True, Renee," he answered, nodding with some effort. "You always were so clever. I must come up with the perfect way to make Marlena suffer. It would be much easier to do that without Abe Carver and Roman and John and all of those nuisances around to bother me. Perhaps I should retire to one of my islands for a while."

"Excellent idea, Stefano!" Rolf enthused. "The warm climate would do you good, ja?"

"If Renee will come with me..."

"What?!" she asked in shock.

"We have so many years to catch up on. It would mean so much to me to be with you again."

"No," she refused outright. "I have a life in Salem now."

"A life with Tony, perhaps?" Stefano jabbed. "You mentioned that he helped you with his memory. Can it be that you are reunited now...after all these years?"

Her silence was enough of an answer.

"I thought as much," Stefano answered. "Tony has always been a fool. Yet you have always loved him so deeply, even when you thought he was your brother. But it is not the same with him, is it?"

"I don't want to talk about Tony."

"Ahh...." Stefano answered in that irritating way of his, as if he had just made some brilliant chess move. "I am right. Of course, I have no way of knowing what has happened during my...absence, but I do know how Tony can be. Anna, for some inexplicable reason, has a strong hold on his heart and always has. She is formidable competition for you, my dear."

"It's more complicated than that..." Renee hissed, turning on her father. "And you with your convoluted plots and schemes were responsible for it! Part of our breakup was because of my marriage with Shane Donovan. Why did you blackmail Shane into marrying me?"

Before Stefano could protest, Renee interrupted.

"Oh, yes, I know all about that. Shane told me. And while we're at it, why did you keep me trapped up in that secret room for years like an animal in a zoo? And why didn't you...?"

Renee stopped herself before she revealed what she knew about the baby. She knew that her emotions were haywire and that if she was not more cautious, she would never find out all she needed to know.

"I understand that you blame me for your fate, Renee," Stefano answered. "I remember when you sat by my bedside at the hospital, cursing me for all you've been through. And you are right."

Renee was surprised that Stefano would dare to admit that he could be wrong about something.

"You cannot know how much I have tormented myself about what happened to you when Andre came to Salem!" he said, his eyes dark and passionate. "Although I saved you from death, you were only a shell of the woman that you used to be. And I feared you would never recover. For years, I planned to murder that foolish Andre for what he had done to you, but the time was never right..."

"Yes," Renee answered bitterly. "The game is all important to you. And Andre, if nothing else, became an excellent game player in time. So I was expendable. But he was not."

Stefano inhaled sharply at her response.

"How can you say such a thing?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"How can you be so blind as to what you did to me?"

For a moment, they were both silent and at an impasse.

"Rolf, will you give me some privacy with my daughter, please?"

"Of course, Stefano..." Rolf answered, scurrying off.

"What can I do to make up for the pain that I have caused you?" Stefano asked, once they were alone.

"Tell me the truth about everything."

"If you come with me to the island, I will tell you all that you want to know."

"No."

"Have you always been so bullheaded?" Stefano raged.

"I guess it's in my blood."

The tension broke when Stefano's anger dissolved into an uproarious laugh.

"You are a true Dimera, Renee. There is no question about that."

"I suspect from you, that's meant as a compliment."

"But, of course!" Stefano shrugged with good humor before his tone turned serious again. "Renee, what have you to stay here in Salem for? Tony is not here for you. He is off with that empty-headed little twit of his. And I am certain you must be a bit of an outcast here, seeing as how you are my daughter."

Renee was unmoved.

"We won't be gone forever, only for a few weeks. On the island, we could have peace and quiet. I could recover my health. And I'll tell you what, if you want him so badly, I could help you win Tony back. I don't know why you want him, but anything for you, eh? And you could help me with my plans for Marlena. What do you say?"

"No."

Renee abruptly stood up and left the warehouse.

"But, Fraulein..." Renee heard Dr. Rolf in the distance. "What are we going to do with Stefano?"

"You're the crazy genius doctor," she snapped on her way out the door. "You think of something!"

-----------------------------------

At around 6 AM, Renee made her way back to the mansion, utterly exhausted. How long had Rolf been working on Stefano? She thought it had been only a day or two, but it seemed like weeks.

She just needed time to mull over her options.

Stefano's suggestion was preposterous. She had spent years cooped up in that room. Why would she want to trade one prison for another? How did she know that wouldn't end up a captive just like Tony was for all that time? Her father was ruthless when he was crossed; and for all she knew, just the fact that she was alive and regaining her memory might be crossing him somehow.

And then there was the other side of her, the tired irrational emotional side, that wouldn't mind the island. Lord knows that she needed to go somewhere and lick her wounds after the break-up with Tony. And if she could trust Stefano, she could find out about her missing years and her baby. They could reconnect and bond again, despite the past. Maybe they could even find a way to get what they wanted. Somehow. Because despite all that he had done to her, Stefano Dimera was her father, for better or for worse. And there was still love there for him, no matter how sick and wrong it was.

"Where have you been?"

The question caused Renee to jump out of her skin and almost scream.

It was Tony. He was sitting on the couch, his hair all messed up. Had he spent the night there?

"What are you doing here?" Renee asked, too tired to be polite. "And where's EJ?"

"Out on the streets looking for you..."

"Oh..."

Renee was surprised. This was one part of her plan that she hadn't anticipated...that anyone would even notice or care that she had been at the warehouse all night.

"He's been worried sick about you," Tony said accusingly. "And quite frankly, so have I."

Damn him! Renee swore she hated Tony at this moment. Just as soon as she thought she could deal with his rejection, he said or did something to make her want to love him again. And she didn't want to love him. It hurt way too much.

"It's sweet of you to care," she replied coolly. "Isn't Anna missing you?"

"Oh, stop it!" he said shortly, shrugging off her retort as if it were unimportant. "Have you heard the news that Stefano's gone missing?"

"No," Renee lied.

"Yes. Somehow, he's escaped from the hospital. And with you being gone for so long, I was worried that perhaps he had kidnapped you or..."

"Isn't he in a coma?"

"We don't know what state he's in right now. But if no one is watching that man, he is a menace. And I don't know about you, but I have no desire to be held prisoner on an island again."

"I think you're being ridiculous. There's no way he could get out of a coma that fast."

"You don't know what all Stefano is capable of. And he has his minions...like that psychotic Dr. Rolf character who would stop at nothing to make him well again, oblivious to the harm Stefano would do to those who cross him."

Renee swallowed hard, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Well, I don't know anything about Stefano. And I'm kind of tired so..."

Before Renee could make her way to the stairway, Tony stopped her with a question.

"So where were you?"

"Out."

"All night?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing?"

"That's really none of your concern."

"Renee..." he began. "I hope you haven't been out doing something foolish."

"Not at all, Tony!" Renee spat out, losing her temper. "I was simply out at the Cheating Heart Bar, hitting on any man who would talk to me. And, boy, did I have some wild times!"

"Oh, I don't know why I bothered coming here at all!" Tony bit back. "I don't know why I thought we might be capable of having a mature and rational conversation!"

"And I'm sure your 'Contessa' is the epitome of maturity and rationality!"

"Could we please leave Anna out of this?"

"I'd love to. And by the way, what conversation were we going to have, Tony? So far, all I've heard is you bullying me around, grilling me about where I've been all night. Well, let me tell you something, if this is a taste of how you would have treated me as a wife, then maybe it's a good thing that we didn't work out! I don't care for possessive men..."

Tony grabbed her by the shoulders angrily.

"Can you put your petty anger aside for one moment and use your brain?"

For a moment, Renee was almost afraid of Tony. This was a side to him that she was unaccustomed to seeing.

"This problem is bigger than you or me or Anna. We are talking about Stefano Dimera, that mad man being on the loose! No matter what has happened between us, I don't want to see you get abused by him again. I am simply thinking about your well-being."

Renee shrugged off his touch.

"I can take care of myself."

"And you've done a fine job of that so far!"

His words cut sharp and deep.

"Yes..." Renee retorted. "Poor Renee, always the victim, right? That's what they all say, isn't it? I'll bet that's what Anna says about me."

His silence said volumes.

"You know what my big mistake was?" Renee started, the hurt and anger spewing out of her. "Falling in love with you. If that hadn't have happened, then I never would have been with you that night of the party and I never would have been in the same room as Andre. And apparently, all these years later and with half a mind left, I still keep making the same mistake because your face was the only thing that brought me back here to Salem. You were the only memory I had. Well, maybe if I forget about you, I'll be a hell of a lot better off."

She could see from the pain in his eyes that her words had hit home. Well, good, she wanted him to hurt...to let him know what it felt like to be in the kind of agony that she had been in for weeks now.

"Renee, this hasn't been easy for me either."

"Yes, I'm sure that consoling yourself in Anna's bed is a real hardship."

"Do you have to be so...?"

"Cruel?" Renee volunteered. "Brash? Vicious? Sorry. I guess it's hereditary."

"Please don't talk that way," Tony begged. "Please. You're not like Fa..." He stopped himself from saying the cursed word. "You're nothing like Stefano. Don't start believing that you are."

"You mean there's no such thing as the 'Dimera Curse'?" she asked wryly.

"Of course not," he answered firmly. "We have the moral code that we choose to have. Please believe me, Renee. I didn't want it to turn out this way between us. I still care for you very much."

"But you love Anna."

"I care for both you and Anna. And I'd hate to see Stefano hurt either one of you. Please, as a friend, will you...?"

"I am not your friend!" Renee answered. "I don't want to be your friend. I just want you to go."

Renee fought back a sob and turned her back on him.

"Just go..."

As his footsteps rang out on the marbled floor of the entranceway, Renee never felt so hollow or dead inside...not even when she had lain helpless on the bedroom floor with Andre's knife implanted into her back.

Ch. 17 –

"Do you really think this is the wise thing to do?" EJ asked worriedly. "I mean, I understand that you need to clear up matters with your divorce in England. But perhaps I could help you with that so that you don't need to travel alone. I am a lawyer now, you know?"

Renee gave her half-brother a smile.

"It's sweet of you to worry, but I'll be fine. I really need to get away from here for a while."

"Yes, darling, but with Stefano on the loose..."

"He's in a coma!" Renee insisted.

"Maybe."

"You sound just like Tony; and anyway, even if he isn't in a coma, he's too busy trying to keep his butt out of jail to worry about me."

"I'm not convinced of that either," EJ sighed. "But your mind seems to be made up."

"Yes."

"Can I drop you off at the airport?"

"Actually, I'm getting a cab."

"Don't you think you're carrying the Independence Act a little too far?" he joked.

"When you've been trapped for as long as I have," Renee answered. "You truly begin to value freedom. Anyway, take good care of the kids and stay out of trouble."

She pecked him on the cheek.

"Who, me?" EJ asked with a dashing smile. "Never!"

With that, Renee left to go to the car.

"To the Salem Marina, please..."

----------------------------

"Ah hah!!!" Stefano smiled with triumph, looking very jaunty on the deck of his yacht, wearing a white captain's hat. He held out both arms to embrace his daughter. "I knew that you would not let me down."

Renee wished that she could just accept his hug like a normal daughter. She wished that she could just rest at ease and trust that everything was all right. When she agreed to Stefano's invitation to join him on the island, she had been in such a depressed state of mind that at the time she truly felt that she did not care what would happen to her. But now that it was the light of day and really happening, she was beginning to regret her impulsive decision.

Stefano looked years younger, well-rested and bright with color. Obviously, his new lease on life was good for him.

After Renee was settled into her cabin, she joined Stefano to have dinner in the private dining room. Even though this was Stefano's private yacht, he was a stickler for the formalities, including dressing for dinner.

"How lovely you look!" he beamed. "See, the ocean air is agreeing with you all ready."

"Thanks."

"I am so pleased that you have decided to join me on our island vacation. Just the two of us, eh? What changed your mind?"

Renee remembered the endless night of sobbing into her pillow until she thought that she would be sick.

"You were right," she shrugged carelessly. "I have nothing to stay in Salem for. Not anymore."


	17. Revenge of the Phoenix

Ch. 17 – Revenge of the Phoenix

Renee panted as she lugged her heavy suitcase down the stairway of the mansion.

"Oh, for God's sake!" EJ swore, hurrying to her side. "You should really learn to ask for help once in a while, you know."

"Thanks..." she acknowledged, gasping for breath. "I just hope I haven't forgotten anything."

"Look," EJ sighed, his eyes filled with worry. "Do you really think this is the wise thing to do, darling? Rushing off to England like this? I mean, I understand that you need to clear up matters with your divorce, but perhaps I could help you with that right here in Salem. I am a lawyer now, you know?"

Renee gave her half-brother a smile and a peck on the cheek.

"It's sweet of you to worry, EJ, but I'll be fine. I really just need to get away from here for a while."

"Away from Tony and Anna, you mean?"

Renee nodded, unable to argue.

"Yes. It's hard on me, much harder than I thought it would be."

"I understand. Believe me, I could write a book about being thwarted in love. But with Stefano on the loose...you simply aren't safe traveling alone."

"He's in a coma!" Renee insisted.

"We don't know that. Once he was missing from the hospital, all bets are off. Believe me, I know that much about my father."

"You sound just like Tony;" she sighed. "Anyway, even if Stefano is able to get around, he's too busy hiding out to worry about me right now."

"Don't be so sure," EJ answered back. "My father often comes up with his most monstrous schemes when he's desperate. It raises the stakes for him somehow...makes the game more exciting for him. I don't mean to scare you, dear. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know, and thank you. But I refuse to live my life in fear. Too much time of my life has been wasted already, too many years lost. I just want to be free of my sham of a marriage and start my life over more than anything. And who knows how long Stefano will be gone? I can't put my life on hold indefinitely."

"No, I suppose not, but you could just postpone the trip for a few days. Then I could go with you once my case is over."

"I've already packed everything. And besides, everything's already paid for."

"But we can afford to..."

EJ stopped, realizing that his arguments were getting him nowhere.

"Good Lord, and I thought Brady women were stubborn!" he said wryly. "Well, can I at least drop you off at the airport?"

"Actually, I'm getting a cab. And it's waiting outside right now."

"Don't you think you're carrying the Little Miss Independent Act a little too far?"

"When you've been trapped for as long as I have, you truly begin to value freedom. Anyway, take good care of Gianni and stay out of trouble."

"Who, me?" he asked with a dashing smile. "Never!"

With that, Renee pecked her brother on the cheek and left to go to the cab waiting outside in the Dimera driveway.

"To the Salem Marina, please..." she instructed the driver as she glanced back at the mansion.

For a brief moment, Renee wondered if she would ever see the house again.

----------------------------

"Ah hah!!!" Stefano smiled with triumph, looking very jaunty on the deck of his yacht, wearing a white captain's hat and navy blue suit. Dr. Rolf was by his side, also attired in nautical style. The soft pastel colors of the houses surrounding the marina made the atmosphere bright and cheery, blending in perfectly with the sea air.

As Renee made her way up the gangplank to the boat, Stefano held out both arms to embrace his daughter. He looked years younger, well-rested and bright with color.

"I knew that you would not let me down."

She was stiff and cold in his embrace.

When Renee decided to join Stefano on his mysterious island, she had been in such a depressed state of mind about Tony that she truly did not care what would happen to her. But now that it was the light of day, she was beginning to regret her impulsive decision.

"So glad you could join us, Fraulein..." Rolf interjected. "It truly warms my heart to see such a touching family reunion."

"Oh, shut up, Rolf, and go see if we are ready to depart."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Rolf smiled with a jaunty salute.

"I think the prospect of our little vacation is even making Rolf more amenable," Stefano commented as he took Renee's arm, leading her to her private cabin on the boat. "I took the liberty of having a room all set up for you," he smiled. "You have everything you need here. Clothes, jewelry, entertainment...and if there's anything that you need here, just ask. And I shall have someone sent to us by helicopter, yes?"

Renee was impressed. Her cabin looked as if it could have belonged to royalty.

"It seems like you have everything planned out," she said, amazed. "But I only agreed to go away with you a few hours ago. How were you so sure that I would go with you?"

Stefano touched her cheek gently.

"You are of my blood, Renee. It seems all of my life I've been looking for the perfect heir. The one who would inherit everything that I've worked so hard for. Tony was a dreadful disappointment. And then EJ followed in his footsteps, losing his head over that foolish Samantha Brady. Alexandra is equally as ridiculous being married to that police officer! And so many of my other children have been lost to me. Megan, Benjamin, Kristen and Peter. But you..."

Stefano kissed her hand.

"You are the perfect Dimera heir. And now that you are regaining your faculties back, nothing can stop us! I have so many plans...but first, dinner...yes?"

Renee nodded, feeling like she'd truly sold her soul to the devil.

-----------------------------------------------

Even though this was Stefano's private yacht, he was still a stickler for the formalities, including dressing for dinner. And, of course, he had an evening gown waiting for Renee in her cabin. The silver lame gown fit her perfectly. At first, Renee was astounded. But then she realized that after having clothed her as a prisoner for so many years, Stefano must have known her measurements.

A chill ran down her spine as she joined Stefano and Rolf in the dining room.

"How luminous you look!" he beamed. "See, Rolf, the ocean air is agreeing with her already, yes?"

"Indeed, Fraulein. You could be a beautiful mermaid come to grace us with your presence."

"Thanks," she answered, rather sourly.

"I am so pleased that you have decided to join me on our island vacation. What changed your mind?"

Renee fought against the memory of how she had been the previous night after Tony had left, sobbing into her pillow until she thought that she would be sick. It seemed that all that she had left was the hope of finding out about the child that she never even knew she had.

"You were right," she shrugged, trying to look calmer than she felt. "I have nothing to stay in Salem for. Not anymore."

"Louis!" Stefano ordered to the waiter, hovering quietly in the background. "We are ready for our soup now."

"Yes, sir!"

Taking Renee's hand with a fatherly gesture, Stefano shook his head, reflecting upon her expression.

"It pains me to see you so sad, my dear. But you needn't distress yourself. You will have your Tony back, I promise you."

Renee sullenly sipped at her glass of wine.

"I don't see how, as long as that blond barracuda's always in the picture."

"It would be easy enough for Anna to have...an accident..."

Renee glanced at Stefano sharply.

Memories from long ago...of a fishing boat with a hole in its side...of Anna lying in agony in her hospital room...of Tony, his eyes consumed with hatred for Renee and all that she had done to kill his child.

"I tried that once. It didn't go so well."

"That's because you were inexperienced, my dear," Stefano explained. "What did a child like you know of such matters? You should let me handle it. Trust me, I would like nothing better than to rid myself of that dimwitted twit.. She has been a thorn in my side for years. Why, Andre would still be alive today if..."

Stefano stopped himself abruptly, remembering who he was talking to.

Awkwardly, Rolf made his excuses, saying that he had to check on how the chef was faring in the kitchen.

"Reminiscing so fondly about the man who almost killed me is not exactly a way to win me over to your side, Father."

"I am sorry," Stefano stated. "But you must know that what happened to you that night was a horrible accident. Andre was foolish and panicked because things had not gone as expected. How was I to know you would be with Tony that night? You had just been married to Alex Marshall, for heaven's sake! Thank heavens that Rolf was on hand with his anecdote."

But now that Renee was going down that dark road in her mind, she couldn't seem to stop.

"What was it all for, Father?" she asked bleakly. "That big grandiose scheme to frame Roman Brady as a killer. And in the end, what did that scheme accomplish? Roman Brady is still alive and well to this day. And all of the schemes that you've plotted since then have failed. Ultimately, what did you ever accomplish? Nothing, besides destroying me."

For the first time since Stefano had roused from his coma, he glared at Renee with malice. He looked as if he were about to berate her, but then seemed to think better of it.

"You look far from destroyed, my dear. Come, come...you are just depressed because of Tony. But soon, you will be married and you will have lots of beautiful Dimera children together, yes?"

"I'm a little old for that now..." Renee snorted. "I spent all my childbearing years in that room."

"Nonsense. The things they can do with science these days. When Rolf comes back, he can tell you all about it..."

"But speaking of children, Father..." Renee began tentatively. "There's something that I need to ask you about."

"What would you like to know?" Stefano playfully gestured towards himself. "I am an open book, yes?"

"Hardly," Renee laughed, despite herself. "It's something I found out...from Rolf. In fact, it's the reason why I agreed to go away with you. I need answers about something...someone...from my past."

Stefano's eyes darkened as she continued.

Renee swallowed tensely, drudging up her nerve to continue.

Suddenly, several alarms on the boat blared wildly, causing them both to jump out of their skin.

"What the hell is that?" Renee cried out.

"I don't know but I will find out..." Stefano answered with obvious concern, picking up a nearby phone.

"Rolf?! What the hell is going on?" There must have been no answer because Stefano became furious. "ROLF!!!" He slammed the phone down. "Damn it, the phone is not working. Where is that idiot?"

"Do you think this could be some kind of sabotage?" Renee asked nervously.

"Give the lady a cigar!"

Renee whirled around at the sound of the voice coming from the entranceway of the dining room.

Bo and Hope Brady were posed before them in complete police regalia, pointing some nasty-looking guns at them.

At the sight of them, Renee couldn't help but be stunned and slightly amused. She still remembered Hope as Doug and Julie Williams' spoiled little girl. And Bo Brady was Roman's wild-eyed rebellious younger brother. Seeing them as this pair of crime-fighting cops threw her world a little off kilter.

"The lady's a chip off the old block, Stefano," Bo taunted. "And here she is, dressed up to the nines, about to help you make your escape. I don't know. Somehow I never did buy into that whole wide-eyed innocent act that she was putting on at that party. She reminded me of that other daughter of yours. What was her name? Oh, yeah. Megan."

"Well, if it isn't the Keystone Kops..." Stefano interrupted, laughing in derision. "You're wasting everyone's time here. I have done nothing wrong."

"Don't make me laugh!" Bo answered sarcastically. "You've been responsible for so many crimes and suffering that I don't even know where to start!"

"No, my friend, I am the victim here!" Stefano persisted. "I am simply trying to recover from my horrible ordeal by getting a little rest and relaxation. Perhaps if you two are so desperate to find something to do with yourselves, you could find the real criminal who poisoned me into paralysis. In fact, I could even file a report against this person if you're interested."

"We're not," Hope spoke up, glaring at him as she continued to point her gun directly at his heart. "We don't want to hear any of your lies, Stefano. You're under arrest."

"For what charge?"

"How about the kidnapping and torture of John Black, for starters?" Bo answered.

"You know that you don't have a case there, Bo," Stefano guffawed. "It's the same old story every time, isn't it?. You arrest me for some preposterous crime and I always end up a free man in the end."

"Salem's not as corrupt as it used to be," Hope answered. "Almost all of your employees in the city hall and police force have been weeded out. And this time, you won't get off with just a slap on the wrists. You're going to pay...for all the hateful things you've done to everyone."

Stefano sighed, shaking his head as he turned to Renee.

"Well, it looks like we have no choice, my dear daughter, but to go with the police." Turned as Stefano was towards Renee, his face was completely out of eyesight to Bo and Hope. With his eyes, he glance fleetingly at a small red button on the dining room table, right beside Renee's right hand. "What utter nonsense! I'm so sorry our cruise has been ruined..."

Renee got the message loud and clear. She stood up slowly, using the table to brace herself, calmly and discreetly pressing the button as she did so.

Braced for something startling to happen, Renee felt sick as she heard only silence. As she rose her hands up at gunpoint, she glanced desperately at Stefano.

Suddenly, some of Stefano's goons rushed the dining room, attacking Bo and Hope as they wrested their guns away.

"Well, now that that foolishness has been attended to..." Stefano laughed.

Bo and Hope struggled against the goons' deadlock grips.

"What do we do with them, Boss?"

Stefano sneered malevolently at them.

"Well, since these meddling idiots have taken it upon themselves to impose upon our trip, we should show them to our guest rooms. The special guest rooms."

Renee didn't like the sound of that. Bo and Hope were obviously in for a rough time.

"You're going to pay, Stefano!" Bo raged as he was dragged away. "For what you did to John, to Hope...Marlena...Roman...Steve...Tony..."

The damning list faded off into silence as the couple were dragged away to whatever heinous fate awaited them.

"Shall we have our entrée now?" Stefano asked, nonplussed.

"I don't think I'm very hungry anymore," Renee swallowed hard, feeling rather sick.

"You mustn't distress yourself, my dear," he chided. "This sort of thing happens to me all of the time. But, you see, I am always prepared, yes?"

"I've lost my appetite," she insisted.

"Please..." Stefano huffed. "As if those two simpletons are worth missing a meal over. ROLF!!!"

A few seconds later, Rolf appeared.

"Yes, Stefano. Whew, that was a very close call."

Stefano shrugged as if the whole thing were of no consequence.

"Renee and I are famished. Tell Louis to bring in our pheasant, please."

"Right away, Stefano..." Rolf answered, scurrying off.

There were a few moments of awkward silence as Renee and Stefano continued to wait at the dining table.

"What are you going to do to them?" she asked nervously, finally coming out of her shock long enough to have another sip of wine. "To Bo and Hope? Are you going to...?"

"Kill them?" Stefano answered for her. "No, although the thought makes my mouth water. No, the Bradys are always powerful bargaining chips. They will make good hostages for me at the island."

Renee was taken aback at the sight of seeing his insanity firsthand. She had some vague memories of when he had kidnapped Marlena and Liz Chandler, holding them hostage at Ridgecrest...but even then, she could barely acknowledge the reality of what her father was doing. Of what he had become. Oh, she knew the stories, but it wasn't until now that it all seemed so brutally true.

"If you kidnap them, then we'll be on the run from all of Salem!" Renee protested. "I won't be able to go back home!"

And she would never be able to see Tony again. Once more, they would be parted forever...with no sign of hope...

"Yes, but don't you see..." Stefano explained patiently, as if he were speaking to a child. "The damage has already been done. I am certain that if Bo and Hope were able to find me, then Roman and Abe will not be far behind."

"Oh, God, what are we going to do?" Renee asked, panicked.

"Nothing."

"What?!"

"You see, I've already created a few...distractions."

Stefano gestured towards the red button on the dining room table that Renee had pressed earlier.

"Right now all of hell has broken loose in Salem, just with the touch of that little button."

"You mean, that wasn't just to call security?" Renee gasped.

"I am a strong believer in multitasking."

-----------------------------------------------

8:15 P.M. A large bomb went off in Salem University Hospital.

8:20 P.M. Another bomb went off at the Salem Police Department.

8:25 P.M. A reported explosion at the Brady Pub.

And nothing would be the same.


	18. Catastrophe

**Ch. 18 – Catastrophe**

"At this time, Dr. Kayla Johnson has been reported as in critical condition..." the newscaster solemnly announced from the television. "Again, this is breaking news. Dr. Kayla Johnson has just been..."

"Dear God, not Kayla too!" Anna gasped, staring at the screen in horror.

"Since there are no emergency facilities that are operational at Salem University Hospital, she has been taken to a triage unit set up just outside of the bombed building. There are no reports of casualties as of yet, but there are areas of the building too destroyed for the firefighters to safely get to. And of course, we will come to you with any breaking news regarding these multiple catastrophes that have hit Salem..."

Anna muted the television.

"First Abe was injured...and now Kayla..."

"Just be glad that so far we don't know any casualties," Tony said, pacing about their hotel room anxiously.

"So far," she agreed. "But they have to inform the relatives before those names will end up on the air, right? And so much damage has been done to Salem that it may be days before we find out who is all alive!"

"We mustn't panic, Anna," Tony soothed, only barely meaning his words of wisdom. He was perilously close to having a nervous breakdown himself. But he had to have a cool head. Especially now...

"I hate just sitting here like this! I feel like I should be helping someone, but so many things are happening all at once. What was this, anyway? Some sort of terrorist attack?"

"We both know who is responsible for this," Tony stated sullenly.

"You mean...Stefano?!" Anna gasped. "Even if somehow he got out of that coma, why would he do this?"

"Obviously, he's angry. So as usual, he's taking out his wrath on innocent parties. Only this time, these aren't little warnings or games. He's out for blood."

The phone rang.

"Dear Lord!" Anna swore. "Tony, what if it's...?"

She stood paralyzed by the phone, obviously afraid to hear the news of death of a friend or loved one.

"Whatever it is we must face it," Tony said, quickly answering the call himself. And praying that he would hear Renee's voice on the end of the line...

"Tony?"

It was E.J.'s voice on the other line.

"EJ. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Anna sighed with relief at the sight of Tony's positive nod, grateful for each person that she knew was unharmed.

"The twins are all right, but Samantha...is not so well..."

"Is she alive?" Tony asked.

"Is who alive?" Anna asked, frantic again.

Tony held up his hand, motioning for her to be silent.

"Yes, but she took a nasty blow to the head. We have her in one of those damned triage units, but it's rather like the blind helping the blind at this point. Dr. Jonas is doing all that he can...but he's fighting a real uphill battle."

"Is Lexie with Abe?"

"Yes, of course. She rushed to the police station as soon as she heard about the bombing. Tony, have you heard from Renee?"

Tony's spirits sank even lower.

"Not a word."

"Damn!" EJ swore.

Tony took the phone and escaped to the bedroom after informing Anna bout Sami's injury. At the moment, she was engrossed in the news.

"What about Renee?" Tony asked quietly. "Do you know anything?"

"She had been on her way to London to get her divorce from Shane."

"So if she's out of the country, she should be all right?"

"No. I checked the flight schedules. There was no flight leaving for London at the time she had told me. I suspect she had been set up."

"You think that was Stefano's doing."

"I think all of this is Stefano's doing, don't you?"

There was a knock at the front door of the suite.

"OH MY GOD!!!" Anna cried out.

"Someone's here," he said shortly, his heart pounding. "I'll call you back."

Anxiously, Tony reached for the gun hidden in the nearby dresser drawer. Someone had caused Anna to cry out like that. And he would allow no one to harm her.

"FREEZE!!!" he cried out, pointing the gun as he entered the living room.

Anna screamed at the sight of the gun.

"Tony, what are you doing with that thing?" she cried out. "Don't you know that's illegal in Salem now?"

Deaf to Anna's ravings, Tony quickly put down the gun, staring at their visitor in shock.

"Eugene Bradford!" he declared. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Looking a little worn with the years, Eugene still had the exuberant expression of a child as he smiled at Tony. And dressed in a brown tweed jacket with a red and green plaid bow tie, his fashion sense was still as abominable as ever.

Tony's eyes began to inexplicably mist over at the sight of his old friend.

"Is that a gun in your pocket?" Eugene quipped. "Or are you just..."

"Don't go on, Gene!" Tony warned, even as he went over to shake his hand. "Or I swear I'll use it!"

"Tony, don't joke about such a thing!" Anna scolded. "You could be arrested for that!"

"Sorry," he answered. "In a world with Stefano, one can't be too careful. And I've had my fill of captivity. But, Eugene, what on earth are you doing here?"

"When Calliope and I heard the news, we felt like we needed to come to Salem right away. Unfortunately, Calliope came down with a flu bug so..."

"We're glad you're here, Eugene..." Anna grinned with a breathtaking smile. "Come on in and sit down."

"Yes," Tony agreed, motioning for him to join them.

"It's great to see you guys again," Eugene enthused, sauntering into the hotel room and immediately making himself at home. "I've been away from Salem way too long. I keep trying to come back here with my time machine and relive the wild times of the late '80s, but I never can seem to get my invention to work right."

Tony and Anna stared at each other in amusement.

"Gene, you haven't changed," Tony smiled.

"Yes, well...it just warms my heart to see you two together again. When I remember how poor Anna was when she thought that you had left her, well..."

"That's all over now, Eugene..." Anna beamed. "And, yes, we are very happy. Aren't we, Tony?"

"Of course," Tony nodded

Suddenly, his cell phone went off.

"Excuse me..." Tony said, quickly making his way towards the privacy of the bedroom.

"Who is it?" Anna asked anxiously.

"Roman."

"Thank God he's okay..."

Under normal circumstances, Tony would have been a little jealous of her reaction, but he was in no position to criticize her at the moment.

"Hello, Roman," he answered. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Tony...and yourself?"

"Fine. And Anna's well too."

"Great. You haven't seen Doc by chance?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"Not on TV or anything, huh?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Damn!"

"Do you think she's all right?"

"I don't know," Roman answered, truly upset. "And, Tony, I'm sorry but I have to ask you a few questions. Police business."

Tony sat down on the bed, steeling himself for an interrogation.

"How can I help you?"

"Bo and Hope are missing..."

"Do you think they were hurt in the bombings?"

"No. They were on assignment to find out where Stefano was. My guess is that they found him and a whole heap of trouble."

"You're probably right."

"Do you know where Stefano is, Tony?"

Tony began to lose his temper.

"Now, why would you ask me that, Roman? You know I am no longer on good terms with Stefano."

"I'm not so sure I do know that, Tony..." Roman countered, the suspicion in his voice apparent. "Do you know where Renee is?"

"No...why?"

"Sorry, that's confidential information. Well, if you see her, tell her that she needs to give me a call."

"I'll be glad to. Will that be all?"

"For the moment."

Click.

Closing his cell phone with a snap, Tony fought to remain in control of his temper and emotions. After his phone call with EJ, the news about the disappearance of Bo and Hope Brady only added to his concern. Stefano had Renee. He was sure of it. And God only knows what that monster would do to her again...

"Knock knock?"

Tony started at Eugene's voice, turning to face him in the doorway.

"Yes, Eugene?"

"I've got Anna talking with Calliope on the other phone. Calliope will be so relieved. We were both so worried."

"Thank you," Tony acknowledged. "You two are among our closest friends; and we never get to see you enough."

"Yes. But that's not the only reason that I've come to Salem."

"No?"

"You see, I've had an impression..."

Tony rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Good lord, you still have those?"

"Oh, yes..." Eugene nodded. "Although they've been in remission for a while. I almost thought that they'd disappeared completely. But now I have one that is very strong. One of Stefano on a boat...and there's a woman with him. But her face is in shadow."

Tony was silent.

"You think it's Renee, don't you?" Eugene asked.

"I'm almost sure of it..."Tony admitted. "She's been missing for some time now. Too many things aren't adding up."

"Should we try to look for her?"

Tony considered it for a moment and then shook his head.

"I swore that I would never leave Anna's side again. After the way Renee lied to me..."

"But?"

"But I just worry that Renee is with Stefano; and that she's in terrible danger. I feel like she's being murdered all over again...and I'm helpless to stop it. And I even feel responsible."

"Tony, she's a grown woman."

"But you don't understand," Tony agonized. "She's so desperate for someone to love her. She's always been like that. And when she's alone and depressed, she can become terribly vulnerable and self-destructive. If Stefano got his claws into her in such a state..."

Tony shuddered, remembering Renee's musings about the Dimera Curse.

"I'm just very worried about her."

"It sounds to me like it's more than just worry. It sounds to me like you still love her."

Tony flinched at the truth being said so brutally. If anyone but his friend had said such a thing, he would have roared with anger.

But of course, he still loved Renee. Had he ever stopped? Yes, he had been angry about her marriage to Donovan...but how much of his wrath had truly been about her deception? After all, she was so terribly confused from all that Stefano had done to her. If he were brutally honest with himself, Tony would have to admit that he was jealous of Shane Donovan. He was supposed to be Renee's protector and savior, not Donovan. He had wanted her all to himself.

"I feel like such a bloody idiot!" Tony confessed. "Just bouncing back and forth from one woman to the other. It's not fair to either one of them. And what does it say about me? Why can't I just make a decision and stick with it?"

"I understand."

"How could you? How could anyone?"

"Remember who you're talking to," Gene said. "If Trista ever came back..."

"Oh, Gene..." Tony sighed. "How boorish of me! I'm sorry. Of course, you suffered a great loss yourself from the madness of Stefano and Andre."

Eugene waved off Tony's protests. "That doesn't matter," he insisted. "The point is that if Trista were to come back...I don't know what I would do, even after all of this time. And I love Calliope as much as you love Anna. But that doesn't negate the love I have for Trista. And I still love her. Just because she's gone doesn't mean that my love has died too. You can't just turn love off like that. Even now, I can still have such clear memories of her. I could never forget her. Ever."

"Damn Stefano!" Tony swore, for what must have been the millionth time.

"Yes, he likes to torture people in this fashion, doesn't he? Just look at what happened to poor Marlena. For years, she was torn between John and Roman, all because of Stefano's craziness. The truth is that she loved them both at the same time and had to choose. And it took a long time before she was able to make a decision."

"And so many people were hurt in the process."

"Yes," Eugene nodded. "And, Tony, let's face it. You're going to hurt either Renee or Anna, no matter what. But now...now we're talking about Renee's life."

"So you think I should try to find her?"

"Only you can answer that, Tony," Gene said sadly. "But do you really think you'll ever have any peace of mind now if you don't? Look, I love you and Anna. I helped get you two together, remember? But until there's some sort of resolution in your mind about all of this, there will always be this cloud hanging over you two."

Tony nodded.

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

Tony looked around the hotel room as if he was just waking up out of a trance.

"I suppose I should pack for my trip..." he laughed with little humor. "If only I knew where I was going..."


	19. Dimera Island

**Ch. 19 – Dimera Island**

"You're better than this, Renee..."

Sweltering in the tropical heat, Renee rolled her eyes as she fanned herself, bored to tears with Hope Brady's endless guilt trips and lectures.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Father has made up his mind about you?" Renee sighed as she turned to face the captive, locked up in a bamboo cage like an animal. "There's really nothing I can do."

Hope was indeed a wretched sight, sweltering and sweaty in her police attire. For once, she was not looking so high and mighty.

"Tell you what I'll do..." Renee offered. "Maybe I can get Stefano to get you some new clothes and a bath...because you really are a reeking mess."

Hope only answered her with an angry glare.

"Or not..." Renee shrugged.

The walls of the small island hut were closing in on Renee. Oddly enough, even with all of the spaciousness of Stefano's tiny island, she felt so claustrophobic. And Hope was not helping the situation any. Even though the situation was only temporary until Stefano could move Hope to the newly-restored underground compound, the circumstances of having to stay with Hope in the same hut were stressful. Unfortunately, there had been an incident some years ago where Stefano's home in his compound had nearly been destroyed, although he was loathe to give her any more details about it. So they had to make do with what they had...but it wasn't easy.

"Tony would be so disappointed in you right now."

The mention of Tony's name caused what was left of Renee's frayed temper to snap.

"Oh, drop it, Hope!" she snarled. "You don't know anything about Tony. For the longest time, you and Bo and everyone else in Salem thought Andre was Tony. So don't act like he was your best friend."

Hope nodded in agreement.

"You're right," she admitted. "All of us were fooled. But I remember how Tony used to be. Back in the days when Bo and I were looking for Stefano's prisms. Tony hated Stefano and all he stood for...and a lot of it had to do with what happened to you. If he knew that you were here in league with Stefano, it would break his heart."

"I don't give a damn what Tony thinks!!!" Renee raged. "Understand?"

Hope was unmoved at Renee's rage.

"You seem awfully upset about a man you claim you don't care about."

"Oh, shut up!" Renee stormed, furiously pacing around like she was the one in a cage. "You're just a cop, Hope. Don't pretend like you know how to psyche me out. I can't stand this! I've got to get some fresh air."

"Wait!" Hope begged before Renee reached the entrance of the hut. "Please, Renee...can I at least see Bo? Can't we be at least be imprisoned together?"

"No way. If you two were together, you'd help each other escape."

"Please..." Hope begged, her eyes tearing up. "He's my husband."

"Awww, you're breaking my heart."

The look of recrimination in Hope's eyes made Renee turn away.

"It makes me so sad to see you like this..."

Renee laughed bitterly in answer.

"You're just sad that you've been caught, Hope. And I feel sorry for you. Truly. But as I said before, there's nothing that I can do."

With that, Renee left the hut and made her way towards Stefano and Rolf's hut.

With Bo Brady held in a similar bamboo cage at their hut, apparently Stefano showed no such sympathy or patience with his captive. Bo was quite firmly tied up and gagged so that he would be an irritant to no one. Looking exhausted, the poor man was crouched down in a corner, passed out. Renee was unsure whether he was asleep or unconscious.

"Father!" The sound of Renee's voice roused Stefano from his morning coffee. "This was not part of the deal!"

"Good morning to you too, my sweet..." he said with his irritating Old World charm.

"When is that compound going to be livable? Hope is driving me crazy with all her complaining."

"Why not have her gagged like her better half over here?"

Renee laughed with irritation.

"Me go near that wild woman? She's likely to bite one of my fingers off if I tried!"

Stefano shrugged.

"Rolf, go see to it."

Rubbing at his hands nervously, Rolf nodded. "Right away, Stefano..." he said mechanically, even though it was clear he was also nervous at having to confront Hope with a gag.

"I am so sorry, my dear," Stefano continued. "The idiots I have working for me should have repaired my compound by now. Heads will roll for this, I promise you."

"I have no doubt..." Renee answered. "But what happened to cause the compound to be so destroyed?"

"A volcano explosion."

"What?!" Renee asked.

"It's a long story," Stefano shrugged. "And I wasn't even here when it happened. It was all part of some foolishness with Andre."

Renee sighed with frustration before deciding to forge ahead.

"Stefano, I want to go back to Salem."

He shook his head.

"No, things have gone too far now. That will be impossible."

"You could make it happen if you wanted to," Renee said coldly. "But we barely even started to make any headway before this whole thing turned into another criminal caper of yours. Now here we are on an island...bombs going off in Salem...and Bo and Hope being held prisoner. This is not what I signed up for."

"Things have turned out a bit...unfortunate, perhaps, but..."

"UNFORTUNATE!!!" Renee repeated, stunned at his choice of words. "You really are psychotic, aren't you? Everything Tony ever said about you is true. You are completely out of your mind!"

"I will not be spoken to this way!!!" Stefano roared back, eyes blazing with fury. "I am your father...and I shall have respect from you!"

"Why should I respect you?" Renee retaliated. "You!!! When you kept me barely alive and locked up for years after nearly getting me killed! Do you realize how much of my life has been stolen from me? Do you realize how miserable I am?"

"If you think that I am such a monster..." Stefano growled. "Then why did you come here at all?"

"BECAUSE OF THE BABY!!!"

There was a long silence between them.

"The baby?" Stefano repeated, softly as if in shock.

"Don't act dumb," Renee hissed, too incensed to even care anymore about her lack of discretion. "My baby! Tony's baby! The child that we had all those years ago that no one even knows about."

Stefano was silent for a while, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin with one hand.

"So I see Rolf has been telling you stories out of school. I shall have to take that up with him..."

"Don't blame Rolf! If he hadn't told me, you'd still be a vegetable today! That's the only reason I agreed to help him or you. So that I could know about the child."

Stefano's eyes swelled with tears.

"So you've turned on me like all the rest!"

Renee began to cry too. Damn it, despite everything, she still needed his approval. She still needed paternal love from this madman.

"Damn you, don't try to turn this around on me! I don't want things to be this way between us. But can't you see that you've made it impossible for me to trust you? Maybe someday we could start over. Maybe we could be father and daughter again. But you need to tell me the truth..."

"Yes..." Stefano confessed after some time. "There was a child. Yours and Tony's. It was a boy. The next Dimera heir."

Renee gasped. Somehow hearing Stefano confirm Rolf's story made it all the more real.

"Perhaps it was cruel to keep you locked away...but I had to protect the child. Nothing else mattered!. Alas, the circumstances of the birth were too difficult. Perhaps it was from Rolf's anecdote and all of the trauma you had been through. In any event, the child did not survive beyond a few days of his birth. It was God's will."

Renee couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she feel so numb with tears streaming down her face at the same time?

"Did the child have a name?" she persisted. "Where was he buried?"

Stefano shook his head sadly.

"Renee, what does it matter now?"

"It matters!" Renee raged. "I have a right to know what happened! I have a right to know about my child!"

"What purpose would it serve?" Stefano replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The child is gone. It does you no good to revisit these ghosts from the past. You must let go of all that, my dear. We have an empire to run."

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR EMPIRE!!!" Renee screeched.

Eyes aflame with suppressed violence, Stefano promptly stood up, calming himself with some effort.

"I know you don't mean that, Renee. Perhaps I should give you some time. This must be hard on you, finding out about the baby this way. You should have some privacy, yes?"

Renee could not answer. She seemed to be able to do nothing but sob brokenly as Stefano left the hut. So everything she had done...reviving Stefano...risking her life...being taken away to this island for Lord knows how long...all of it had been for nothing. Now she had nothing to live for, it seemed.

"Don't believe him."

Renee was startled at the sound of Bo's voice. Somehow, maybe before she had even come to the hut, he had managed to work that gag off and had been pretending the whole time. She rose from her chair quickly, rubbing at her wet face.

"Wait..."

"No!" she protested. "I'm getting Stefano!"

"Renee, listen to me..." Bo entreated. "That child is alive. I'm convinced of it! I think I even know who it is."

"Shut up! You don't know anything about me, least of all about..."

"I've heard enough from Roman and Anna," Bo interrupted. "You were held captive with insomnia for all of those years by Stefano. If he simply was keeping you to protect the baby, why did he keep you locked away for so long after the child supposedly died?"

Renee wiped away at her tears furiously, not having an answer for that.

"Maybe he didn't want to put me away in an institution somewhere..." she guessed.

"Or maybe he didn't want you to find out about that child. He said it was a boy, a Dimera heir. Maybe he kept you imprisoned so he could take that child and raise it for himself. And maybe he kept you drugged up so you would never know about that child or what happened to him."

"You're crazy!" she retorted. "You hate Stefano so much that now you're just making up stories. If Stefano raised this mysterious boy child, well, where is he?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Bo asked. "Who is Stefano's son, living in his mansion now?"

"EJ!" Renee asked, completely unhinged. "You think EJ is my son? Now I know you're nuts."

"There has never been any word from Edmund and Susan, but I doubt that they would just hand Elvis over to Stefano. Susan would never have given up that baby without a fight. And what do we really know about EJ? He claims to be Elvis, Junior...but why should we believe him? Just because he says so? Just because Stefano says so?"

Renee was silent, trying to decipher the possibilities in her mind. Everything was happening so fast.

"Renee, let me go. Let Hope go. We can help you find out if EJ is your son."

"Oh, now I get it," Renee said, cynicism clear in her voice. "This is just something you're cooking up to escape. And to think I almost fell for it!"

"Renee, don't be a fool!"

"Stefano!" Dr. Rolf's voice cried from outside the hut. "Stefano!"

"If you're smart, you'll get that gag back on and be unconscious again," Renee warned, although she wasn't quite sure why she was helping Bo. Even though she knew he had ulterior motives, there was something in what he said. In some crazy way, his theory might make sense.

"Rolf!" Stefano bellowed, leading his henchman into the hut. "For God's sake, you've been yelling my name all over the island. What in the hell do you want?"

"Stefano, big news!"

"Not now, Rolf! Can't you see my daughter is upset? She has just suffered a terrible shock."

"But you need to hear this!"

"Oh, very well, you fool! What is it?"

"Dr. Kayla Johnson has just been pronounced dead."

Renee's eyes widened as she stared at her father.

There was an agonized cry from Bo Brady, gag forgotten, as he heard the terrible news about his sister.

With the satisfied smile on his face, Stefano Dimera looked like the devil. And surely, with one of the core members of the Brady family now murdered by him, there would be hell to pay for everyone.

--------------------------------------

"Sweetness! Oh, my God, sweetness!"

Steven Earl Johnson cried out in agony at the triage unit set up outside of Salem University Hospital.

"Oh, Dad..." Stephanie sobbed, throwing herself into her father's arms. "What will we do without Mom? What will we do?"

"I don't know, baby girl..." Johnson rasped. "I don't know."

Tony turned away quickly from the heartwrenching scene, leaving the Johnson family to grieve in private. He had only come here to see if he could find EJ and perhaps brainstorm with him for a way to find Stefano and Renee. Never had he expected to come upon such a tragic scene. He had not known Kayla Johnson very well, but she had been loved by all of Salem. Even the most stoic nurses and doctors of the hospital staff were visibly crying at the great loss of a colleague and friend.

"I don't believe it..." Eugene said, his large brown eyes wet with tears. "Not Kayla, of all people..."

There was something cosmically wrong with the universe when a man with such humor and wit as Eugene Bradford was prostrate with grief, Tony reflected to himself.

"It's a horrible loss..." Tony said to his friend, knowing that words would never be enough.

Then suddenly, before he even saw it coming, Steve Johnson was at Tony's throat, grabbing violently at the lapels of his leather jacket.

"Where is Stefano?" Steve asked bitterly, shaking Tony in his grasp. "Where is he, damn it! I know he's responsible for all of this!"

Even as Eugene desperately tried to come to his aid, Tony managed to escape Steve's hold.

"I realize that you're very upset, Steve..." he said, fighting to remain calm.

"Oh, yeah?!" Steve cried out. "My wife has been killed! She's dead! Yes, I'M A LITTLE UPSET!!!"

"BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE STEFANO IS!!!" Tony yelled back, seeing as that was the only way he could possibly get Steve to hear him. "I agree with you that he is probably responsible for all of this. But I don't know where he is."

"Come on, Steve..." Eugene urged. "Your daughter needs you right now. This is no time to be flying off of the handle."

Straightening his patch, Steve wiped tears from his face as he tried to pull himself together for the sake of his daughter.

"Tony, are you all right?" Eugene asked.

"Oh, yes..." Tony shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's obvious Steve Johnson is going mad with grief. One other thing to blame on Stefano."

"Yes," Eugene agreed. "And all of Salem will want to hunt him down now. Roman, Steve, Bo...there will be so many people out to try to avenge her death."

"All the more reason that we must to get to Stefano first and save Renee," Tony answered.

Both men knew from experience that when Stefano Dimera was cornered, that was when he could become the most deadly.


	20. Men with a Mission

**Ch. 20 – Men with a Mission**

"But why didn't you go with her?" Tony scolded. "You could have at least seen her off to the airport like a gentleman instead of leaving her all alone!"

"Tony, will you please calm down?" EJ sighed, sipping at a cup of tea nervously. "Things are bad enough with Samantha's concussion, finding care for the twins and dealing with all of the aftermath of Stefano's madness without you flying off the handle!"

At that, Tony began to pace around the Dimera mansion frantically.

"Sorry if I'm bothering your afternoon tea," he growled. "It's only a woman's life at stake! Your sister's life!"

"All of our lives have been at risk!" EJ answered back angrily. "And why all of this sudden concern for Renee? I thought you had made your decision to stay with Anna."

"That doesn't mean I want the woman dead..." Tony muttered furiously.

"Is it only good will that you feel for her? I wonder..."

Before Tony could snap at EJ to mind his own damned business, the doorbell rang. He was too on edge to wait for Illeana to get the door, leaving to answer it himself.

"Donovan!" he exclaimed at the sight of the trenchcoat-wearing Brit. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

Shane Donovan's jaw clenched with tension at the sight of his adversary.

"I'm here to see Renee if you don't mind," he answered coldly.

"Renee?" EJ interrupted, coming to join them in the hallway. "But she's in England, supposedly divorcing you right now!'

Shane shook his head.

"I don't understand," he said. "My solicitor would have left word with me. Renee's been nowhere near England."

"So what's going on?" EJ asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Shane answered as he made his way into the mansion.

"Well, make yourself at home, Donovan," Tony quipped sarcastically. "Don't mind us. Would you like Illeana to fix you a sherry perhaps?"

"I'm not interested in getting into a quarrel with you, Dimera," Shane responded. "I have a personal stake in all that has gone on here in Salem this last week. You see, Kayla was not only my sister-in-law but a dear friend."

If Tony didn't know better, he would have thought that the unshakeable ISA agent was beginning to get a bit misty-eyed with tears.

"Oh, yes..." EJ recalled. "I believe Samantha had informed me that you two had been involved once."

"Yes," Shane nodded.

Tony was stunned by this revelation. He had no idea that Kayla and Shane had ever been involved. They seemed like such a mismatch. Again, he was are of just how much he had missed out since his captivity on the island.

"She was a great lady," Shane said. "A wonderful wife, mother and doctor. And she died before her time. This time, I can't just ignore what Stefano has done."

"Since when did you ever ignore Stefano?" Tony asked bitterly. "As I understand it, you followed his instructions right down to the letter. Even going so far as to marry a brainwashed insomniac prisoner in order to save your own damned neck..."

"Tony," EJ warned. "Please be civil in my home. Sorry, Shane. He's been like this all day."

"Well, we've all been distraught," Shane said charitably. "And I suppose you're worried about Renee."

"Of course, I'm worried about Renee!" Tony raved. "She has disappeared off the face of the earth. And what are the chances that Stefano has captured her again? He had his reasons for keeping her alive and a prisoner for so long. I don't suppose you know what those reasons were?"

Shane shook his head.

"I'm sorry. Stefano never took me into his confidence."

"As if I could believe a word out of your mouth anyway..."

"Look," EJ stepped in. "All of this arguing is getting us nowhere, Tony. Renee is missing. Fine. The next step is to find out where Stefano is."

"I do have a theory about that..." Shane spoke up. "There's been a lot of chatter in the Dimera organization. You see, lately the ISA's been working on ways to track down leads about the Dimeras on the Internet. Once Stefano was in a coma, there was no real need to use our new codes and technology. But since he's been on the move again, there have been a few interesting discoveries that we've made. There have been a series of numbers that have been repeated over and over again in our research. The more I think about it, the more I expect that those numbers are longitude and latitude of wherever he is."

"You mean, you think he's on an island?" EJ asked.

"It would fit his modus operandi," Shane nodded. "How many islands does that man own anyway? He's escaped from the hospital with several criminal charges on his head. Of course, he would leave the country. And more than likely, Renee is with him, I'd say, along with Bo and Hope."

"Well ,if we know where he is, what are we waiting for?" Tony asked. "We need to go to that island immediately."

"Patience, Dimera. Take it from a man in the spy business. You don't want to go into this all hot-headed. We need back-up. Someone that we can trust. Roman has his hands all tied with the police department right now, with Abe's injury and Bo and Hope's kidnapping. Ordinarily, I'd turn to John Black if he were in his right mind, but..."

"So we're left to our own devices?" EJ asked.

"Well, there's another man who would be a great help to us in this sort of operation, but..."

"For God's Sake, Donovan!" Tony raged. "We need all the help that we can get! If you know someone..."

"The man is Steve Johnson."

Both of the Dimera brothers were shocked at Donovan's suggestion.

"Steve Johnson?" Tony bellowed. "Are you crazy? He's in absolutely no condition right now to go looking for his wife's killer."

"On the contrary, he might welcome the distraction from the grief," Shane responded.. "I've worked with Steve Johnson for a long time, both in ISA missions and police action. Let's face it, he's bound and determined to get revenge anyway. It's only a matter of time before he tries to track down Stefano himself. At least, if he's with us, we can keep an eye on him. Perhaps if we all work together, we could get Stefano, save all the others, and put an end to this madness."

EJ nodded soundly.

"Let's go talk to Steve Johnson, shall we?"

--------------------------------------------

Renee sat alone on the beach, staring out at the beautiful ocean and tropical skies. She was in a complete funk.

She couldn't handle being around Bo or Hope. Whatever fight had been left in them seemed to evaporate with the news of Kayla's death. She had never seem them look so bereft and silent before.

Stefano and Dr. Rolf, with their obscene glee and gloating, were even worse to put up with. How could they be so happy about Kayla's death? Had her father always been such a monster all along? The knowledge made her feel sick.

As it was, Renee had only fleeting memories of Kayla from her past. Once Kayla had been in love with David...and had been a miserable pain in the butt. Still, that was years ago. She was truly sorry that Kayla ended up as collateral damage in this infernal war. And, like it or not, she had been an accomplice to it. Ultimately, she had pressed the button that blew up all those places in Salem, whether she knew it or not.

And now here she was, stuck on this island, wanting nothing more than to go home.

--------------------------------------------

Anna did not like what she was seeing. Not at all.

Tony had been so distracted ever since Eugene showed up. No, even before then. And it seemed to be something more than just all of the destruction around Salem. It was something else.

Driving past the Dimera Mansion, she saw his red sports car in the driveway. That was a bad sign. A little later, she drove by to find that Shane was there too. Now she knew that trouble lay ahead.

Determined, she went straight to the front door of the mansion, deciding to face this head on.

"Anna..." EJ said, rather loudly as a warning to Tony as he answered the door. "What a surprise!"

"Where's Tony?" she asked, in no mood to play games.

It didn't take her long to find him with Shane Donovan in the study, both of them hunched over a large map.

"What are you doing?" she asked frantically, as if she didn't know. "Tony! You're not planning on going after Stefano, are you?"

Tony was surprised to see her at first. And then his eyes grew dark with sadness. He didn't have to answer her. She knew the answer.

"Tony..." she begged. "I've lost you for so many years to that man. Please! I'm begging you. Let someone else be the hero."

Tony shook his head, determined.

"I have to do this," he insisted.

"Why?"

His silence said volumes.

"Renee is involved in all of this somehow, isn't she?" she asked suspiciously. "Where is she?"

All three men were silent for a long time.

"We don't know, Anna..." Shane finally admitted. "She appears to be missing. We think she's with Stefano."

"Well!" Anna exclaimed, full of self-righteousness. "Didn't I tell you, Tony? Didn't I tell you that her whole amnesia thing was just an act?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!!!" Tony roared back.

Anna's eyes widened with shock. It had been a long time since Tony had spoken to her that way. In fact, she couldn't remember when she had last seen him so angry.

"I know you don't like Renee..." Tony continued, on a rampage. "But even you have to admit that she's been horribly victimized for years by Stefano. And now he's about to ruin her life again. He's kidnapped her and taken her God knows where!"

Anna's jealous nature came burning to the surface just like it always did where Tony was concerned.

'"I'm sorry if I haven't been concerned about Renee!" she bit back. "I've been a little too concerned about my friends, about the death of my sister-in-law! Roman's needed me!"

Tony was as cold as ice as she mentioned his rival for her affections.

"Then go to him."

"What?' Anna asked in shock.

"If Roman needs you, go to him."

"And what are you going to do?"

He remained maddeningly silent.

"You're going to look for Renee, aren't you?" she gasped. "That's what this whole quest for Stefano is really about. Boy, nothing turns you on as much as Renee when she's doing her 'damsel in distress' act!"

"Oh, Lord..." Tony sighed in exasperation. "Not that again!"

"Not that again!" Anna repeated in disgust. "Well, I'm tired of always having to compete with you for her affections, Tony, when she's done nothing but deceive you ever since..."

"Oh, don't act the innocent!" Tony bit back.

"What do you mean?"

"For some time, I've suspected your hand in the timing of Donovan's arrival at the engagement party. But I never said anything to you about it because we were happy for a while. But I'm so tired of your hypocrisy."

"And I'm tired of your unfaithfulness!" Anna answered back, outraged. "And if you go looking for her, don't you dare come crawling back to me!"

Anna stormed out of the mansion, slamming the front door behind her.

As Anna sat down in her car, she began to sob, her heart breaking. She would never forgive Tony Dimera for this betrayal. Not ever.

--------------------------------------------

Steve Johnson was a man with a mission.

As he grimly stared at the landscape from the small plane, he vowed that this time Stefano Dimera was a dead man. It was bad enough that so many years of his life had been stolen from him, but now the love of his life was gone. And it was all Stefano's fault.

Seeing that man dead was the only reason that Steve agreed to come on this little trip. The other men in the plane were also tense, nervously glancing at him from time to time, occasionally asking him if he was okay. Of course, he wasn't okay! But he had to stay cool. He had to keep it together and somehow keep all that volcanic anger held down inside. Otherwise, Donovan would tell him to go home.

And there was no way he'd miss out on a piece of this action.

And he wouldn't stop at Stefano. No, there was also that creepy Dr. Rolf. He still had a score to settle with EJ. And then there was the fair Renee Dimera...

EJ, Shane and Tony were all taken in with Renee Dimera's act. But he didn't trust that little Mafia Princess. No, sir. Not for a second. He knew what jilted women were capable of. And at that engagement party to the fancy count, Renee Dimera had been good and jilted by her Count. He'd been around devious women too much over the years to be taken in by them. Savannah, Emma, Britta, Marina, Ava...the list went on and on.

The only woman worth a damn in his life had been his Sweetness. And now she was gone...forever...

Fighting back tears, Steve tried to remain hard and in control. He knew what she would say. She would say that everyone had to die sometime, that it wasn't worth it to see meaningless revenge. That's just how she was. And for a while, he was also seeing things her way. He had Stephanie and little Joe to think of. They didn't need to lose their papa too.

Steve knew in his head that Kayla was right. But in his heart, there was just an empty space. The last time he had felt this bad was when he was a little boy, abandoned by his mama in the orphanage. And that's how he felt now. Abandoned.

He felt more alone than ever.

He felt more hurt than ever.

He felt more like Patch than ever.

--------------------------------------------

Johnson had a grip on her hair, so tight she thought her neck would snap. Flashbacks of Andre's brutality crowded in on her, but she tried to push them back. She couldn't panic, not like before. Even so, she nearly fainted as she felt the feel of a knife against her throat.

"You're going to help me free Bo and Hope...you got that?" he said softly, like a snake. "Because I have no problem with killing you right here and now, understand me?"

"Okay..." she gasped. "Okay. Just take the knife away. Please...please..."

She felt what little was left of her self-control evaporate as the cold fear and memories kept closing in on her.

"Where are they?"

She led Steve over to where Bo's cage was in the hut.

"Oh, you people are sick!" Johnson swore. "Hey...hey, buddy. How you doin?"

"Steve?" Bo rasped, his eyes barely open.

"Yeah,. It's me. I'm gonna get you out of here. You and Hope."

Bo was too weak to be aware that Renee had managed to get a hold of Stefano's heavy marble chess set table. The thing weighed a ton, but fear gave her the strength to lift it as high as possible before bashing Steve on the back of the head with it. Her stomach lurched at the sound of Steve's skull cracking, but she was fighting for her life. This was no time to be weak or merciful.

Then she began to run as fast as she could away from the hut, escaping into the jungle part of the island.

--------------------------------------------

"Renee!"

The voice called to her out of the fog of her dreams.

"Tony..." she answered as loudly as she could. "Tony..."

There was a flashlight that glared in her eyes, blinding her.

"Renee, is that you?"

She could do nothing but sob at the vision of her lover standing at the entrance of the cave, looking so uncharacteristically rugged in his khakis and hat.

Quickly, he came to her side and embraced her tightly.

"I thought I'd never find you."

She couldn't stop the tidal wave of tears.

"And I never thought I'd see you again..." she sobbed. "Oh, God..."

They held each other as if they would never let each other go. And then they were kissing, frantically, desperately...

Renee couldn't remember who started the kiss. It didn't really matter.

"Thank you for finding me," she whispered, once she got her breath back. "You're my hero...once again..."

"I couldn't just let Stefano take you away."

Renee blinked slightly as she realized that Tony thought she had been kidnapped. There was no sense in telling him the truth. He would find out soon enough. But she was tired of worrying about the future or looking for her past. He was here. He was now. And that was all that mattered.

"You're not hurt?"

Renee shook her head.

"I'm fine, now that you're here."

They began kissing again, unable to stop themselves.

"We should probably go back to the others. Let them know you're all right."

"No..." Renee protested. "Please. I'm so tired. Can't we just rest here a little?"

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable if you were in a bed?"

Renee thought of all that must have been happening on the other part of the island. Bo and Hope were more than likely ratting her out to anyone who would listen. She knew she should just tell Tony the truth...that she had gone with Stefano willingly, that she had even been an unwitting accomplice in his crimes. But she couldn't bear to see the disappointment on his face.

She just wanted to pretend...if only for a little while.

"I'm too tired to walk all that way," she pleaded. "Can't we just stay here tonight?"

"Of course," Tony nodded. "There'll be hell to pay with Donovan, but I can handle it."

"Shane's here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We've all been out looking for you. Me. EJ, Shane and Steve Johnson. Renee, Stefano did some terrible things in Salem. Kayla's was fatally wounded in an explosion."

Renee nodded.

"I heard when Stefano got the news. It's terrible."

"Yes."

As Renee realized just how much trouble she was going to be in, she started to panic and cry.

"Oh, no...my dear..." Tony held her close. "Everything will be all right now. I promise."

"That seems a little hard to believe."

"Believe it."

Another kiss, ending with him tracing her lips with his fingertip. It drove her quite wild when he did that.

"I must be a horrible sweaty mess," she said, backing away self-consciously.

"No. You've very primal and exotic...like a jungle princess."

Renee laughed loudly. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed.

"You're so full of it..."

He gently stroked his fingers along the soft skin of her neck and shoulder.

"I've missed you..." he confessed.

It was on the tip of Renee's tongue to mention Anna. But she wouldn't let that woman spoil her moment now. Not this time. It didn't matter.

"Tony..." she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Don't start something you don't intend to finish."

He chuckled.

"Do you want me to finish?"

"Very much..." she confessed softly.

He pulled a shirt out from his knapsack and spread it down on the ground of the cave.

"Sorry. It's not satin sheets, but the best I can do."

"What does a jungle princess need with satin sheets?" she teased. "I just need you."

He began to unbutton his khaki shirt.

"It's rather warm in here, isn't it?"

"Scorching."

Renee began to kiss his neck and his collarbone, running her hands along the hair on his bare chest.

With a growl, Tony grabbed her, pinning her down on the ground, kissing her thoroughly as he began to work at the ties of her sarong. She loved his rough enthusiasm. Maybe it was the night air of the jungle, but he was kissing her with a wildness that she was unaccustomed to from him. And she loved the excitement of it. She pulled at his shirt, wanting to feel nothing but his flesh against hers. And she ran her nails along his back, encouraging him to be even more savage.


	21. Island Adventures

**Ch. 21 – Island Adventures**

Tony, Shane, EJ and Steve Johnson all headed towards the longitudinal position marked down on Shane's map. They took a small plane provided by the ISA.

"There's no way that Father won't be able to spot us in this plane..." EJ warned. "He has state-of-the-art technology, you know."

Shane nodded. "I'm all too aware of that, but that's just a chance we'll have to take. Besides, I'm certain Stefano's on the defensive anyway. He has to be if he intends on keeping Bo and Hope hostage."

"We need to come up with a plan, Donovan..." Steve Johnson growled. "I say the first thing we do is get Bo and Hope out of there. The second thing we do is slit Dimera's evil throat."

Tony slammed his hand down on the armrest after hearing Johnson's threats.

"Look, Donovan, I wasn't too keen on Johnson coming with us at all," Tony started. "But if he's going to be trying to enforce some sort of sick code of vigilante justice, then perhaps we'd better..."

"DON'T TEST ME, DIMERA!!!" Steve roared. "You're one of them! Don't think I've forgotten that!"

"Brother..." EJ motioned for Tony to join him on the other side of the plane. "Come."

Tony sighed in exasperation, not at all certain he wouldn't have to duck a punch from Johnson on his way across the plane.

"Why did we decide to come here with such a ticking time bomb?" Tony moaned. "It's only a matter of time before he completely loses control. He was not in any way ready to go on this trip."

"Well, it's done now. We just have to deal with it. I think it's best that we try to look for Father while they go after Bo and Hope. Stefano wouldn't hurt us."

Tony looked at his brother skeptically.

"How can you be so naïve? Of course, he would hurt us. Since when has he cared about his own flesh and blood when it comes to his own agenda? And besides, I don't give a damn what happens to 'Father'. I only care what happens to Renee."

"And we'll find Renee..." EJ assured Tony. "We will. She's a strong lady. Look at all she's survived so far, in spite of everything."

Tony began to tremble uncontrollably at the thought of Renee being lost to him again. Yes, he had been horribly disgusted with her for her deceit. He had felt betrayed and angry, played for a fool. But it was too cruel for her to return to his life, against all odds....only to be swept away again. It would not happen! He would not allow it to happen!

--------------------------------------------

As agreed, the men split up. Shane and Steve went to look for Bo and Hope while EJ and Tony searched for Stefano.

"You take the cake, Donovan..." Steve sneered as they hiked their way through all sorts of flora and fauna. "You really trust Stefano's boys to actually turn Daddy Dimera in? You really are a sucker, aren't you?"

"Steve, you're really making me regret bringing you on this mission," Shane sighed. "Perhaps it would be best if you were to turn back."

Steve stopped and pointed a finger at Shane, his one blue eye wide with fury.

"There's no way that I'm turning back! Kayla's dead and somebody's going to pay!"

"Just don't go off half-cocked, all right?"

Steve didn't answer as he kept walking.

Eventually, they came to a compound of huts.

"This looks like this might be of some consequence..." Donovan whispered.

"You think?"

"I'll comb through the huts from the left...you go from the right. And, for God's sake, be careful."

Why? Steve thought to himself glumly. He had nothing to live for anyway without his Sweetness.

Once the annoying British brother-in-law was off his back, Steve started to get down to brass tacks, looking through one hut after another. He came across one of Dimera's goons who nearly sounded an alarm, but with a quick karate chop, that goon went down real fast. And on and on it went...and Steve was just aching to get his hands around Stefano Dimera's throat and squeeze the life out of him!

But then, at a hut near the center, he got a nice little surprise.

The Mafia Princess was there all by herself, brushing her hair in front of her mirror, looking for all the world like a satisfied Persian cat! Who did she think she was? Dorothy Lamour? Dressed up in a strapless flower-patterned sarong-like dress, Renee Dimera looked like she was off on a holiday. Steve almost snorted with mirth. And Tony was so certain that this little witch was being brainwashed and abused and put through all kinds of torture. But good 'ole Patch Johnson had had her number right from the start. Yes, sir!

--------------------------------------------

With a loud crash, the makeshift door of the hut burst open, causing Renee to nearly have a stroke from fright. Whirling around, she saw what she could only think of as a mad pirate, about to attack her. With wild blond hair and a big black patch, he was truly a frightening sight. And then, she recalled who he was.

Steve Johnson. Kayla's husband.

"Just calm down! Okay?" Renee stood up, putting her hands up in surrender, her heart pounding hard. "Don't do anything rash!"

Steve Johnson's laughter was tinged with hysteria.

"I give the orders around here, Princess! And Daddy's not here to protect you now."

"You have to believe me. I had nothing to do with what Stefano did. I..."

Renee's words were cruelly cut off as Steve Johnson reached for a rough grip on her hair, so tight she thought her neck would snap. Flashbacks of Andre's brutality crowded in on her, but she tried to push them back. She couldn't panic, not like before. Even so, she nearly fainted as she felt the feel of a knife against her throat.

"You're going to help me free Bo and Hope...you got that?" he said softly, like a snake. "Because I have no problem with killing you right here and now, understand me? You don't have me snowed over like Donovan and your lover boy Tony and..."

"Tony?" she asked breathlessly.

"SHUT UP!!!"

"Okay..." she gasped. "Okay. Just take the knife away. Please...please..."

She felt what little was left of her self-control evaporate as the cold fear and memories kept closing in on her.

"Where are they?"

She led Steve over to where Bo's cage was in the corner of the hut.

"Oh, you people are sick!" Johnson swore. "Hey...hey, buddy. How you doin?"

"Steve?" Bo rasped, his eyes barely open.

"Yeah,. It's me. I'm gonna get you out of here. You and Hope."

Bo was too weak to be aware that Renee had managed to get a hold of Stefano's heavy marble chess set table. The thing weighed a ton, but fear gave her the strength to lift it as high as possible before bashing Steve on the back of the head with it. Her stomach lurched at the sound of Steve's skull cracking, but she was fighting for her life. This was no time to be weak or merciful.

Then she began to run as fast as she could away from the hut, escaping deep into the jungle. She lost track of how far she ran or how long she had been on her feet. All that mattered was getting away from that knife...and from Stefano...and from all of the horrible things that had happened to her.

After what seemed like hours, Renee found a little cave on the outskirts of the island. She was so cold. Her dress had been appropriate for the stifling heat of the hut, not for this dark damp creepy cave. She made an attempt at brushing some sticks of wood together to make a fire, but for some reason, it wasn't working. After a while, panic began to set in. She huddled down on the ground in almost a fetal position. Perhaps she should have just let Steve Johnson kill her. Perhaps she should have let Shane arrest her. Even jail would be better than starving to death in this stupid cave.

But despite the cold and hunger and fear, the search for a hiding place had exhausted her...and before too long, she dozed off without even realizing it...

"Renee!"

The voice seemed to come to her from a dream.

"Tony..." she murmured softly before she awoke fully. "Tony! Oh, my God...TONY!!!" she called out as loudly as she could.

There was a flashlight that glared in her eyes, blinding her.

"Renee, is that you?"

She could do nothing but sob at the vision of Tony Dimera standing at the entrance of the cave, looking so uncharacteristically rugged in his khakis and hat. He looked out-of-place, hot, sweaty, uncomfortable...and wonderful.

Renee bit at her lower lip, trying so hard not to cry. She had made a fool out of herself too many times before.

"Renee...I thought I'd never find you..."

Unable to help herself, she rose to her feet and ran to his side, throwing her arms around him. He returned her embrace tightly.

"God, Tony..." she sobbed. "Stefano brought me here. And I thought I'd never see you again. Oh, God..."

They held each other as if they would never let each other go.

"I couldn't just let Stefano take you away," Tony confessed. "Not again."

Renee blinked slightly as she realized that Tony thought that Stefano had kidnapped her. While she wasn't exactly here on her own free will, she wasn't really kidnapped either. But there was no sense in telling him the entire truth. He would find out soon enough. He would find out about all of the bad things she had done soon enough. But for now, she just wanted to enjoy being in his arms.

Running her hands through the dark hair she loved, burying her face into that space she loved between his collarbone and the nape of his neck...Renee felt if she died just like this, she'd be happy. And his arms tightened around her. He was kissing her hair, running his hands along her waist.

"I'm so glad you are all right. So relieved. You're not hurt?"

Renee shook her head, smiling.

"I'm fine, now that you're here."

For a moment, Tony looked tortured. His dark expressive eyes were wide with indecision.

Renee almost asked him about Anna. But then she decided better of it. Wherever Anna was, it didn't matter. She wasn't here in this cave. But Tony was. He was here alone...and he was all hers.

Grasping the moment, Renee reached up and pulled his mouth to hers. And he kissed her back For several minutes, they simply stood, enjoying each other...oblivious to the rest of the world.

At last, Tony pulled away.

"We should go back to the others, I suppose. Let the others know you're all right."

Renee inhaled sharply, disappointed.

"The others?"

"Yes, we've all been out looking for you. Me. EJ, Shane and Steve Johnson. Renee, Stefano did some terrible things in Salem. Kayla was fatally wounded in an explosion. She's dead."

Renee nodded, unwillingly remembering the mad grief she saw on Steve Johnson's face.

"I heard when Stefano got the news. It's terrible."

"Yes."

Renee realized that it would be only a matter of time before Bo and Hope would expose her. They would reveal that she sat by and did nothing while Stefano kept them prisoner. And there was Dr. Rolf. Who knew what secrets he might tell under duress? He might talk about how she helped bring Stefano out of the coma...and then there was the matter of the baby...

As Renee realized just how much trouble she was going to be in, she started to tremble uncontrollably.

"Oh, no...my dear..." Tony held her close. "I shouldn't have brought up Kayla. It's all right."

"Tony...I'm so scared..."

"Everything will be all right now. I promise."

"That seems a little hard to believe."

"Believe it. Stefano will never hurt you again. I won't let him."

This time, he initiated a kiss, which ended with him tracing her lips with his fingertips. His touch drove her wild.

"I must be a horrible sweaty mess," she said, backing away self-consciously.

"No. You look very primal and exotic...like a jungle princess."

Renee laughed loudly. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed.

"You're so full of it..."

He gently stroked his fingers along the soft skin of her neck and shoulder.

"And I've missed you..." he confessed. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, even when I wanted to. Always, you haunt me."

He kissed her cheeks, her forehead, the palm of her hand, her fingertips...

"Tony..." she whispered hoarsely.

"Yes?"

"Don't start something if you're not going to finish it."

He chuckled.

"Do you want me to finish?"

"Very much..." she confessed with a mischievous smile. "I've always wanted you, Tony Dimera. You know that."

There was a long silence between them as they held each other. Renee was shivering with bottled-up desire as she heard his tortured sigh.

"We never seem to be able to leave each other, do we? Even after so many years, after I thought you were dead, after everything..."

"Tony..." Renee began frantically. "You have to believe that everything I did, I did because I..."

He placed his fingers over her lips, stifling her excuses.

"I know..." he whispered. "I know..." And then he began to unbutton his shirt. "Rather warm in here, isn't it?" he asked huskily, throwing the clothing on the ground.

"Scorching." she agreed, oblivious to the cold dampness of the cave that had bothered her only a short time before.

Renee began to kiss his neck and his collarbone, running her hands along the hair on his bare chest. God, how she'd missed him! No wonder she was so lost when he had walked out of her life. She was spoiled for any other men. There could be no other man. She knew that now.

With a growl, Tony grabbed her, pinning her down on the ground, kissing her thoroughly as he began to work at the ties of her sarong. She loved his rough enthusiasm. Maybe it was the night air of the jungle, but he was kissing her with a wildness that she was unaccustomed to. And she reveled in his rough touch, returning his ferocity by running her nails along his back and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Renee resolved not to think about Stefano...or Anna...or what the future would hold. They had this night...and for now, that would have to be enough.

--------------------------------------------

The sound of a bird roused Tony to awareness. Renee was curled up along his bare chest like a satisfied cat. Taking care to disentangle himself from her grasp, he shifted about carefully, easing his position on the hard ground of the cave which was hell on his back.

He felt as if he were recovering from a major hangover.

Making love with Renee had been exquisite and satisfying. She had been so beautiful, dressed up in that sarong. And he had missed her so much. He had been so worried about her. And of course, that old love was always there between them and would probably never die, no matter what she did. Yet he could all too well imagine Anna's hurt eyes. And here he was again, playing the fool between two women. And he had no one to blame but himself for his predicament. So what was he to do ? Should he leave Anna? Get engaged again to Renee? Leave the both of them?

Tony rubbed his eyes in despair. It was all so maddening. He had to make a choice...and make one quickly.

With a soft little moan, Renee reached for him, cuddling her naked body closer to his.

"Where do you think you're going, Count?" she teased.

"Well," he started awkwardly. "This cave is hardly a four-star hotel, is it?"

"Do I need to make you more comfortable?" she asked, a glint in her eye. "You weren't so unhappy last night as I recall."

Tony couldn't help but grin at the memory of their shameless passion.

"True enough. Last night was incredible. But we should really get back to the other side of the island now. I'm sure that the others will be worried."

"Tony?"

"Yes?"

"Can't we just go back on our own? Why don't you just get on your cell phone and call for someone to come and get us?"

"Renee, are you mad? We can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Stefano's going to be under arrest. There will be a major investment. He terrorized Salem and was responsible for the death of Kayla and several others. We can't go anywhere until the whole matter is settled."

Renee nodded grimly, her eyes worried.

"Oh, now why are you looking like that?" Tony coaxed. "Didn't I promise you Stefano would never hurt you again?"

"I'm not worried about Stefano."

"Then what is it?"

Tony became truly concerned.

"Renee, I've never seen you look so distraught. What are you so worried about?"

Her eyes began to grow wet with tears.

"Just know that I love you, Tony," she said softly. "No matter what you hear about me, no matter what happens...know that I always loved you."

Cursing himself as he did so, Tony pulled Renee close. And yet he could not bring himself to say those words of love to her again. He felt so horribly guilty about what he had done to Anna. Perhaps Stefano was right. Women had always been his weakness and downfall.

"Let us go," he urged Renee. "I'm sure you'll feel better once you've eaten and rested. You've been through such an ordeal."

Tony helped her up to her feet before tying back up her half-torn sarong dress.

They only made it a few steps from the cave before they ran smack into Steve Johnson, accompanied by Bo and Hope Brady.

"Well..." Steve grinned cruelly, staring at Renee. "Lookee who we have here. Gee, I hope we weren't interrupting anything."

Tony was more concerned about Renee. Her complexion was turning an angry red as she trembled, glaring at Steve Johnson furiously.

"Don't be rude, Johnson..." Tony blurted out. "You're speaking to a lady."

"Oh, am I?" he asked, tauntingly. "Well, your girlfriend was being real ladylike as she was sitting across from Bo...who was held in a cage...AND WAS TREATED LIKE A DOG BY DEAR OLD DADDY DIMERA!!!"

Hope Brady put a hand on Steve's arm, calming her friend down.

Even though Steve Johnson was obviously out of his mind with grief over Kayla, Tony wondered if there was truth in what he said. One look at Bo's sad disgusted expression confirmed Tony's fears.

In shock, Tony turned to Renee. No wonder she had been so anxious and jittery.

"Renee?" he asked, not even wanting to ask the question he had to ask. "Is this true?"

"You bet it's true," Steve answered. "It's just like I told you, Tony-Tone. That girlfriend of yours was in on it with her Daddy all along. She knew about Bo and Hope! She knew about Kayla! And from what I understand, she even helped get Stefano out of the hospital and out of the coma in the first place!"

Tony stared at Renee in disbelief. And he didn't even have to ask her anything more. The obvious guilt on her face and the expression in her eyes said it all.

"Renee Dimera...you are under arrest for aiding and abetting Stefano Dimera..." Hope continued, taking a pair of ISA-reglulated handcuffs and placing them over her wrists.

Unable to bear anymore, Tony stormed off, never wanting to see Renee again.


	22. The Final Chapter

**Ch. 22 – The Finale**

The sound of a bird roused Tony to awareness. Renee was curled up along his bare chest like a satisfied cat. Taking care to disentangle himself from her grasp, he shifted about carefully, easing his position on the hard ground of the cave which was hell on his back.

He felt as if he were recovering from a major hangover.

Making love with Renee had been exquisite and satisfying. She had been so beautiful, dressed up in that sarong. And he had missed her so much. He had been so worried about her. And of course, that old love was always there between them and would probably never die, no matter what she did. Yet he could all too well imagine Anna's hurt eyes. And here he was again, playing the fool between two women. And he had no one to blame but himself for his predicament. So what was he to do ? Should he leave Anna? Get engaged again to Renee? Leave the both of them?

Tony rubbed his eyes in despair. It was all so maddening. He had to make a choice...and make one quickly.

With a soft little moan, Renee reached for him, cuddling her naked body closer to his.

"Where do you think you're going, Count?" she teased.

"Well," he started awkwardly. "This cave is hardly a four-star hotel, is it?"

"Do I need to make you more comfortable?" she asked, a glint in her eye. "You weren't so unhappy last night as I recall."

Tony couldn't help but grin at the memory of their shameless passion.

"True enough. Last night was incredible. But we should really get back to the other side of the island now. I'm sure that the others will be worried."

"Tony?"

"Yes?"

"Can't we just go back on our own? Why don't you just get on your cell phone and call for someone to come and get us?"

"Renee, are you mad? We can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Stefano's going to be under arrest. There will be a major investment. He terrorized Salem and was responsible for the death of Kayla and several others. We can't go anywhere until the whole matter is settled."

Renee nodded grimly, her eyes worried.

"Oh, now why are you looking like that?" Tony coaxed. "Didn't I promise you Stefano would never hurt you again?"

"I'm not worried about Stefano."

"Then what is it?"

Tony became truly concerned.

"Renee, I've never seen you look so distraught. What are you so worried about?"

Her eyes began to grow wet with tears.

"Just know that I love you, Tony," she said softly. "No matter what you hear about me, no matter what happens...know that I always loved you."

Cursing himself as he did so, Tony pulled Renee close. And yet he could not bring himself to say those words of love to her again. He felt so horribly guilty about what he had done to Anna. Perhaps Stefano was right. Women had always been his weakness and downfall.

"Let us go," he urged Renee. "I'm sure you'll feel better once you've eaten and rested. You've been through such an ordeal."

Tony helped her up to her feet before tying back up her half-torn sarong dress.

They only made it a few steps from the cave before they ran smack into Steve Johnson, accompanied by Bo and Hope Brady.

"Well..." Steve grinned cruelly, staring at Renee. "Lookee who we have here. Gee, I hope we weren't interrupting anything."

Tony was more concerned about Renee. Her complexion was turning an angry red as she trembled, glaring at Steve Johnson furiously.

"Don't be rude, Johnson..." Tony blurted out. "You're speaking to a lady."

"Oh, am I?" he asked, tauntingly. "Well, your girlfriend was being real ladylike as she was sitting across from Bo...who was held in a cage...AND WAS TREATED LIKE A DOG BY DEAR OLD DADDY DIMERA!!!"

Hope Brady put a hand on Steve's arm, calming her friend down.

Even though Steve Johnson was obviously out of his mind with grief over Kayla, Tony wondered if there was truth in what he said. Bo's sad disgusted expression confirmed his fears.

"It's true, Tony," Hope added. "Both of us were held captive by Stefano. And Renee knew about it and witnessed everything. I begged her to help me. She did nothing."

In shock, Tony turned to Renee. No wonder she had been so anxious and jittery. And now she looked like a trapped animal.

"Renee?" he asked, not even wanting to ask the question he had to ask. "Is this true?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Renee answered frantically. "I couldn't do anything to help them. You know how Stefano can be. I was just as much a prisoner to his whims as they were."

"Don't you believe it for a second, Tony-Tone." The cocky voice of Steve Johnson broke through the tension. "That girlfriend of yours was in on it with her Daddy all along. She knew about Bo and Hope! She knew about Kayla! And after working on Dr. Rolf Frankenstein for a while, I found out that she even helped get Stefano out of the hospital and out of the coma in the first place!"

Tony stared at Renee in disbelief. And he didn't even have to ask her anything more. The obvious guilt on her face and the expression in her eyes said everything.

"Renee Dimera...you are under arrest for aiding and abetting Stefano Dimera..." Hope continued, taking a pair of ISA-regulated handcuffs and placing them over her wrists.

Unable to bear anymore, Tony stormed off, never wanting to see her again.

"Tony…" Renee sobbed. "Tony! Please…there was a reason I helped Stefano. Something you have to know about… please…"

But Tony didn't want to hear anymore. He just wanted to go on with his life. He was going to return back to Salem and back to Anna. And he was going to write last night off as the mistake that it was. He just hoped that one day he could forgive himself for his disloyalty.

---------------------------------------------------

_Back in Salem…two days later…_

The group of mourners left the church slowly, sad organ music playing in the background.

"I can't believe Steve didn't even show up at his own wife's funeral…" Caroline Brady sniffed into her handkerchief. "What was he thinking?"

"Maybe he wasn't thinking, Ma.," Kimberly answered. "Maybe he had to deal with this his own way."

"And where is Shane, for that matter? And Tony and EJ? It's a disgrace!"

Anna, standing by the women's side, stayed stonily silent. After Tony's betrayal, she had felt completely numb. As terrible as Kayla's death was, she couldn't even grieve for the woman who used to be her sister-in-law. Not yet, anyway.

"They've gone after Stefano, haven't they?" Caroline continued, guessing what had happened. "Haven't they?"

Kim and Anna exchanged a baleful look.

"We can't let that man continue to terrorize us, Mama," Kim confirmed. "They just did what they thought they had to do."

"At the expense of Kayla's memory?"

"Kay would be the first one to support them with what they're doing. Her life was just as messed up by the Dimera machinations as anyone else's."

"…And I'm so sorry about that…"

Anna whirled around to see Tony!

"You're back?" she asked in amazement.

"Are the others with you?" Kim asked.

Tony shook his head. "No, but they've captured Stefano. All of this nightmare will be over soon."

"And every time we think that, something else horrible happens," Caroline answered. "But this…this is just…I don't know that I can…"

Caroline broke down in a collapse of tears, allowing Kimberly to embrace her and lead her to a nearby bench where she could sit down and collect herself.

Anna turned away from Tony coldly.

"Please…Anna…I know you're angry," he begged. "And I know I deserve it, but…"

"How's Renee?" she interrupted.

"I imagine she's not too happy, seeing as how she's been taken to jail."

What?"

"She was in on everything."

"WHAT?!"

Tony nodded, looking sick as he made the admission.

"She helped Dr. Rolf revive Stefano out of his coma. She smuggled him out of the hospital, away from police custody, enabling him to put his murderous plan in action. Renee might as well have planted those bombs herself. She killed Kayla as much as Stefano did."

There was a long silence between them.

"I'm sorry…" Anna said finally.

"No, you were right," he protested. "You said that from the start that her innocent act was a fraud. And it was. I was just too much of a fool to see it."

Anna hardly knew what to say next. Should she slap Tony in the face and storm away? Should she break down in frustrated tears? Should she fall on the ground and thank God that Renee had turned out to be such a sneak?

"Anna…if you'll have me, I'm asking you to marry me again. And this time, the past will stay in the past…I promise."

"It's just not as easy as all that, Tony."

"You were always the woman for me, Anna, always my soul mate. And I'm so sorry with my recent behavior, making you doubt that. I know I used to berate you for your imperfections. I think I've proven I have more than my share as well. Will you give me another chance?"

Anna began to cry.

"I suppose if we could get through all that life has thrown us so far, we can get through this too. But I don't ever want to hear Renee's name again! I'm willing to forgive you everything, but I won't be second best with you, Tony. I'm better than that. You taught me to know that I'm better than that. You taught me to believe in myself. Don't take that away from me."

Tony nodded, his eyes glistening with tears.

"You will always be my true Contessa. So are you willing to give it another try?"

Anna beamed with happiness, reaching out to embrace him.

"I can't wait."

------------------------------------------------

_The next day…_

"I told you that the charges wouldn't stick!" Stefano announced triumphantly. "The Salem fools can never can make them stick. They have released me. And you will be freed too in a matter of hours. How have you been, Renee?" He gestured at her prison cell. "In this place? No one has dared to harm you?"

Renee smiled wanly.

"The name of 'Dimera' has kept me safe enough, I suspect."

Her father nodded with satisfaction, although the sparkle was missing in his eyes. Even with his victory, he seemed anxious about something.

"Good."

Renee narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Stefano. He was holding something back from her. She could sense it.

"What are you not telling me, Father? Something's happened, hasn't it?"

He sighed in pent-up frustration.

"You are going to find out about this sooner or later…so I might as well tell you. It seems that Anna and Tony are getting remarried."

Renee felt cold. It did not come as a shock to her necessarily. She had been expecting the bad news for some time. In a way, the island encounter just seemed like a crazy dream she had. What had been the point of any of it?

"When will this happen?"

"Tomorrow."

She nodded grimly.

"You're taking this much better than I thought…" he observed.

"After all that happened," she shrugged. "I suppose I saw it coming. He'll never forgive me for helping you escape the hospital. He blames me for Kayla's death. He hates me."

Stefano made a gesture as if he would reach for her hand. Alas, the glass wall between them barred any contact.

"Forget about him, daughter," he advised. "He was never worthy of you. Never! I always knew that from the beginning. That's why I…"

He stopped himself short…as if he were about to say too much.

"Why you kept him from learning about our child?" she ventured to ask. "That's why you kept EJ and raised him as your own? He was really our son, wasn't he?"

For the first time, Renee thought she saw something like regret or guilt in Stefano's eyes.

"You might as well tell me the truth, Father. I more or less figured it out. Well, I had a little help along the way…but it all makes sense. The more I think about it."

"I had no choice."

That was as close to an admission that she would ever get from him.

"Rolf's experimental drug had just terrible side effects for you. I didn't know if you would live or die. But I had to save the child. My heir. And I could not let Tony know because…"

"Because you were too busy trying to replace him with Andre?"

Stefano shook his head, refusing to go there.

"Tony was not fit to raise a Dimera child. So yes, I took EJ. And I have no regrets. I looked after him and you…for as long as I could."

"But why did you blackmail Shane into marrying me?"

"Much as I have my differences with Captain Donovan, I knew that he would do anything to protect his family. And I knew he was not above lying and deceiving to do so. I thought he would make you an admirable husband. It was not right, Renee, for you to be kept in that room the rest of your days. You were still young. I wanted more grandchildren."

"How could you possibly think such a solution would work? He never loved me! And how could I ever have really loved him?"

"Strong marriages are not always based on love."

Renee shook her head. She would never understand her father.

"But that's all water under the bridge now…" he insisted. "And once you are free, you will help me with the family business. Nothing will stop us!"

As Stefano droned on, Renee's mind wandered.

So it was true. EJ was her son. The son that she shared with Tony…

If Tony knew, would it make a difference? Would he still marry Anna? If she had proof, real DNA proof, would he be able to deny their connection? If she explained to him that her pursuit of the truth was what led her to do everything, even raise up Stefano from his coma, would he understand her? Maybe even forgive her? Maybe even take her back?

Softly, Renee's lips curled into a smile. She remembered how Tony had kissed her on the island. He couldn't just deny all of that away. Their love had stretched beyond so many impossibilities. But they had always been bonded together…and always would be.

"I see the future doesn't seem so bleak now," Stefano smiled. "The light is returning to your eyes."

"Yes, Father," she replied. "I believe all may not be lost. And to quote my favorite heroine, Scarlett…tomorrow is another day…"

THE END


End file.
